Ink Master star Ryan Hadley has passed after a battle with progressive cancer. The tattoo artist was 46 years old at the time of his death. His family shared a few words about the late tattooer on Friday. Continue reading to see what they had to say about their beloved Ryan, plus what season of Ink Master he was on.
Ryan Hadley Loses His Battle With Cancer
Ryan Hadley’s family announced his death via Instagram on Friday. “Ryan left this world last night surrounded by loved ones,” they wrote. “While his life was cut short, in that time he left a legacy behind in both the art and tattoo world.”
They continued, writing that he adored “his many fans, his friends and clients, and most of all his children. He’ll be missed and always remembered. A legend forever.” At the end of the post, they included the hashtags rip and f**k cancer.
The photo accompanying the post was a black-and-white snapshot of Ryan tattooing someone’s arm. He wore a huge smile on his face, showing his love for his art. Across the photo, the words “Forever a Legend RIP” were written.
In the comment section, multiple members of the tattoo community chimed in with their condolences.
Ryan Henry wrote, “Condolences to the good brother Ryan,” while Durb Morrison commented, “Our condolences, Ryan was such an amazing friend, Artist and Father! He will be greatly missed!!” Freddy Negrete also showed support for the family in the comments, writing, “Wow what a loss to us all, my deepest condolences.”
Ink Master Star Leaves Behind Sons Under 12
The Ink Master star first revealed that he had been diagnosed with seminoma in December 2023. Seminoma is a malignant germ cell tumor and, in Ryan’s case, it came from testicular cancer. At the time, he was looking for financial support on GoFundMe.
The fundraiser page explained that he was not able to work while receiving “aggressive treatment” for his condition. It was put in place to help him cover his bills and provide for his family while he tried to battle the disease. A few days ago, his family updated the page asking for end-of-life donations.
“I am now hospitalized to doing the chemotherapy way earlier than I anticipated,” he shared with his Instagram followers. “The last time I went through with this it nearly killed me and scared the hell outta me. 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.”
Later, he shared that he wasn’t ready to give up, “not now not ever.” Ryan Hadley said that he was not ready to “leave this earth yet without giving my precious loved ones a good life before leaving this body.”
At his time of death, Ryan Hadley owned a tattoo and art gallery in Indiana. He regrettably leaves behind his children, all under the age of 12.
You can see Ryan on Season 6 of Ink Master, which you can stream on Paramount+. He was known for his realism tattoos and artwork.