Austin Towle lays Sydney's ashes to rest in Hobe Sound

Austin Towle, the brother of late influencer Sydney Towle, honored her final wishes by spreading her ashes in the place she loved most.

Austin, 29, posted an Instagram Story on Sunday, October 4, that showed him on a boat in Hobe Sound, Florida, while Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun" played. The video showed Austin releasing Sydney's ashes into the water with flowers.

"Sydney's spirit will live on in the place that she loved the most," he wrote to his followers.

Sydney died on August 5 at age 26 after a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer. A post on her Instagram account at the time announced her passing, calling her "a daughter, sister, and friend to so many" and "an endless ray of sunshine."

Austin had also paid tribute on TikTok, writing, "Rest in Peace to the best sister ever. Sydney fought so hard and was always so positive and spread happiness wherever she went."

Sydney was first diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in 2023, when she was 23. She documented her cancer journey on TikTok, growing a following of more than 1 million. Her treatment included chemotherapy, major liver surgery and having her gallbladder removed. Before her death, she was about to begin the next phase of a clinical trial using tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.

"We all know our bodies pretty well. And when this started happening, I just had a feeling." — Sydney Towle to People, 2025

Even with the diagnosis, Sydney stayed upbeat. She said in a June social media video, "People always ask why I'm so positive, and it's like, why would I not envision the best-case scenario, the best way of things working out? The alternative is to not do that and to just be sad."

One day before her death, her family shared that she had been moved to hospice. Austin wrote on TikTok alongside a photo of the family together holding stuffed animals, "Sydney has been moved to hospice and is surrounded by her friends and family. Thank you for all your love and support."

• Austin Towle
• cholangiocarcinoma
• Hobe Sound
• Instagram
• Sydney Towle
• TikTok