Influencer Tanner Martin Honored at Funeral Days After His Death

Tanner Martin’s loved ones are gathering to pay tribute at the influencer’s funeral days after his death.

“It is an honor and pleasure to be his dad — and it still is,” his father, Thomas, tearfully said in a eulogy delivered on Saturday, July 5. “He was always just generally happy. He wanted to be everyone’s friend, and he assumed — at least when he was young — that most everyone wanted to be his friend. He was just always switched on to be happy and friendly.”

He added, “During Tanner’s last week, his brother [Spencer] and I with him the original Star Wars trilogy. We’d stay with him at night and make sure he had everything [he needed]. … We watched the trilogy and the Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”

Ahead of the funeral, Martin’s wife, Shay Wright, shared via Instagram that everyone attending the funeral is “invited to wear something Star Wars in honor of Tanner — ties, pins, stickers, our custom Rebels Against Cancer shirts with other formal wear.” He also requested that Star Wars stickers to be placed on his casket.

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“We are so grateful for this community & all of you that love Tanner with us,” the post read. “Your support has carried us in many ways.”

In his eulogy, Thomas also praised his son’s marriage to Wright.

“They are a great mix,” he said on Saturday. “It is truly an opposites-attract situation, where Tanner is the fun-loving guy [who’s] a little forgetful, and Shay is the list and the organized and the ‘we’re going to be on time’ part of the [partnership]. … Shay has just been a wonderful companion.”

Thomas continued, “They got two years before he was diagnosed, and then they had five years with doctors’ visits and the struggle and the fight. There were still a lot of good times in those five years, but there were still a lot of other times, too. It sometimes doesn’t seem fair that I’ve had 30 Father’s Days, and Tanner had one. I don’t know if fairness really plays into it.”

Martin announced his own death at age 30 following a battle with stage IV colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2020. He had been documenting his health journey via social media alongside Wright.

“Hey, it’s me, Tanner, if you’re watching this, I am dead,” he said in a prerecorded video shared on June 25. “I had a heck of a life. I decided to make this video announcing my death because I saw someone did that, like, a year or so ago, and I think it’s a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out.”

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He continued, “Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here. Hopefully, I believe there’s something after this. I’m excited to meet those people, and hopefully we’re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds.”

Martin gave a sweet shout-out to his inner circle and thanked fans for their support and “helping to make the last years” of his life “fun and enjoyable” while also making him feel “comfortable.”

Weeks before his death, Martin welcomed his first baby with Wright. The couple shared the news in May, while uploading photos of the newborn.

“Her daddy made it,” Wright captioned the Instagram post at the time, which included a wooden birth announcement that read, “Our little jiaozi has arrived.” (Jiaozi translates to “dumpling” in Chinese.)

In another prerecorded Instagram post shared on June 25, Martin encouraged fans to donate to a GoFundMe to support Wright and their daughter. He explained that the funds would help to “replace” his income and pay for their child’s school and life events.