TikToker Maddy Baloy, who shared her cancer battle with followers, dies at 26 as Gordon Ramsay pays tribute

Gordon Ramsay has led the tributes to a young cancer sufferer who has died at the age of 26.

Maddy Baloy won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok as she shared her battle with the terminal disease on the social media platform.

Baloy, who was known as @fruitsnackmaddy to her 450,000 followers, was a fan of celebrity chef Rasmsay, and in February of this year he invited her and her loved ones to attend the opening of his new restaurant Lucky Cat in South Beach, Florida. The cook and the viral social media star also met and danced together, much to Baloy’s joy.

Posting a video of the dance to his TikTok page, Ramsay wrote a tribute to her and called her “kind, fun and a true inspiration”. His full statement read: “I’m truly at a loss for words by the sad news we received today about the loss of @madison She was kind, fun and a true inspiration to me and my three girls.

“Knowing we were able to make one of her dreams come true will always be cherished by me. She’ll always be my first & last dance in the kitchen and never forgotten. Sending all our love to her fiancé and family. Gx.” The video was set to ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri.

It was Baloy’s fiancé Louis Risher who broke the news of her death yesterday (Thursday May 2), telling American publication People that she had died on Wednesday (May 1) - which was tragically his birthday.

He said: “Madison passed away peacefully last night”. He added that she was "surrounded with love." He continued: "She is so special. I turned 27 yesterday, actually. I was holding her hand all day and that’s all I needed."

Baloy, who shared candid videos of her cancer journey on her TikTok page, began experiencing stomach issues in the summer of 2022. She spent more than a year trying to solve the issue by making changes to her diet, but in February 2023 she repeatedly vomited blood and began experiencing sensory issues.

At first Baloy, who worked in a Kindergarten in Florida, believed she had contracted "either a worm" or a stomach virus from one of her, she told People in a previous interview.

But, when he fiancé urged her to seek medical attention doctors discovered abnormalities in her large intestine. She had to have emergency surgery, and during that procedure numerous cancerous tumours were found pressing on her large intestine.

Family told Baloy the devastating news after she woke up from her surgery the next morning. She was initially given five years to live. Baloy only joined TikTok after her diagnosis, telling People that she was feeling "alone and isolated" at that time.

"I knew that I had a lot to say," she told People, saying that she wanted to experience “every single emotion while we're here because we're not going to be here for long”.

In one of her most popular videos, Baloy named 19 of her 20 bucket list items, ranging from getting a tattoo with her grandma and having a "beautiful wedding" with Risher to meeting celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

Baloy is survived by Risher, her mom Carissa Talmege, aged 47, and her stepfather Lucky Talmege, age 45.

Many of Baloy’s followers have left tributes to her online. One person said: “ Madison's light and love will be greatly missed. Forever dancing in our hearts. Sending all our love to her loved ones.”

One more said: “Aww. This made me cry. Sending my thoughts and prayers to her family and friends. Dance with the angels Madison. You’re free.” A third added: “RIP Maddie thank you for spreading kindness.”

Another fan said: “RIP Maddie thank you for spreading kindness.” Another simply said: “Rest peacefully my love.”