Ryan Hadley, a contestant on the sixth season of Ink Master and an Indiana native, has died. The tattoo artist revealed two months before his passing that he had been diagnoses with “non-treatable” cancer and it had spread to his liver and lungs. He was 46 years old.
“Ryan left this world last night surrounded by loved ones,” his family wrote in a statement on social media. “While his life was cut short, in that time he left a legacy behind in both the art and tattoo world. He loved his many fans, his friends and clients, and most of all his children. He’ll be missed and always remembered. A legend forever.”
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Hadley revealed his diagnosis in December, confirming he had seminoma, a tumor that develops in the testicles typically before spreading. He can appear in the brain, chest, abdomen and elsewhere in the body. He discussed his treatment openly with fans, even when the news got very grim.
“The last time I went through with this it nearly killed me and scared the hell outta me,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have no other option but to do the chemotherapy and to make sure I do not get sick while going through the cycles of chemotherapy this time around. Thank you reading and I’m hoping to it through this to the end.”
In April he revealed the chemo wasn’t successful and he was preparing to die within a few months. “I made that decision to follow the oncologist orders and do everything that they asked for during my treatments,” he wrote. “Chemotherapy wasn’t for me and now my cancer has spread to my liver and lungs. This is a non treatable cancer in my liver and death is the outcome.
“I may be around for another week or maybe another 3 months, either way it tears me apart that I’m leaving my children behind. Death doesn’t scare me in any way.. it’s the fact of abandonment with my kids is what pisses me off and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll keep everyone updated to a certain point in all this. I’ll be signing off very soon forever,” he concluded. Rest in peace.
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