Harrison Gilks was from New Brunswick in Canada.
A teenage TikTok star has died at the age of 18. The shocking news of Harrison Gilks' death comes from Canada, according to Today. He was diagnosed with rare soft tissue cancer and had ben documenting his attempt to complete his bucket list. The Canadian teenager died peacefully on March 30 at Dr Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Frederiction, New Brunswick, his family confirmed in his online obituary.
"Harrison was an inspiration to many. His smile could light up a room, his laugh could cheer anyone up. He was our sunshine on a cloudy day," the family said in the obituary. "He always found good in every situation and touched the lives of many with his messages of hope and encouragement through his TikTok videos, where he chronicled and shared his journey with cancer with the world."
Mr Gilks was first diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, which impacts soft tissues, in November 2020, after doctors found a large tumour in his prostate and spots on his lungs.
As per CBC News, the teenager underwent months of gruelling treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. In February last year, he showed signs of remission and decided to go on family vacation, the outlet further said. The cancer turned out to be premature.
But just months later, it was back, and Mr Gilks' condition was deemed terminal, as per the CBC News.
The 18-year-old had more than 300,000 followers on his TikTok. He revealed his cancer diagnosis on the video sharing platform in June 2022 and launched his "bucket list", which included travelling to different places before his time was up.
Mr Gilks posted videos of beautiful areas he visited on TikTok, like the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian destinations Banff and Jasper, according to New York Post.
Mr Gilks posted the last video on March 21 from his hospital bed, revealing that he was suffering from complications of cancer, which had spread.
"I'll be in the hospital for probably the remainder of whatever time I have left, which is obviously very upsetting," he said in his video, adding that "it's been a great ride with you guys on the bucket list", as per Today.