{"id":223422,"date":"2026-02-17T21:39:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T21:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/shay-martin-shares-why-family-still-pays-for-late-husband-tanners-phone\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T21:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T21:39:54","slug":"shay-martin-shares-why-family-still-pays-for-late-husband-tanners-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/shay-martin-shares-why-family-still-pays-for-late-husband-tanners-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Shay Martin Shares Why Family Still Pays for Late Husband Tanner’s Phone"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Influencer Shay Martin<\/strong> is opening up about one way she and late husband Tanner Martin\u2019<\/strong>s family have kept his memory alive after his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still paying for Tanner\u2019s phone number,\u201d Shay, 29, responded to a fan who asked if Tanner\u2019s phone was still active during a Q&A on her Instagram Stories on February 12. \u201cTanner\u2019s parents are still paying for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shay added that she still uses Tanner\u2019s phone to play music for their daughter, AmyLou, whom they welcomed 41 days before Tanner\u2019s death at age 30 in June 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cTanner\u2019s phone actually puts Amy Lou to bed every night,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe have it playing lullabies. It sits like on the nightstand, kind of next to her crib. It just kind of feels like a way we can include Tanner in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shay concluded, \u201cIt feels sad to cancel his phone and to not have his phone number be his phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanner died following a battle with colorectal cancer<\/a>, which he began documenting via social media in November 2020. He announced his own death in a pre-recorded video.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, it\u2019s me, Tanner, if you\u2019re watching this, I am dead,\u201d the influencer began in the June 2025 video. \u201cI 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\u2019s a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanner continued, \u201cYou guys, life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here. Hopefully, I believe, there\u2019s something after this. I\u2019m excited to meet those people, and hopefully we\u2019re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds. \u2026 There\u2019s just a lot of people that for the afterlife, I\u2019m excited to see them, and excited to see them not in pain and just happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Tanner Martin and Shay Wright.<\/span> Shay Wright\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tanner also reflected on his fears about dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, I\u2019m like, death is scary, but it\u2019s also like a new adventure, you know. And I\u2019m kind of excited for it, a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m excited to see what the experience is like, and hopefully it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tanner then thanked fans for their \u201csupport and helping to make the last years of my life here on earth, like, fun and enjoyable and helping me be comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Less than one year before Tanner\u2019s death, he and Shay announced that they were expecting their first child<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because usually when people get pregnant they only have excitement for the future. While we are definitely excited, we are also experiencing grief, fear and anxiety,\u201d Shay told People<\/em> at the time, calling her pregnancy \u201ca massive decision for us that took a couple years to decide. As I\u2019m a mental health therapist, I\u2019m very aware of the research of child development. But also aware of how to combat possible negative effects. But either way, it\u2019s going to be hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Why Influencer Tanner Martin Felt \u2018Blessed\u2019 to Have Cancer: Mom’s Eulogy<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tDuring influencer Tanner Martin\u2019s emotional funeral service, his mother revealed how he found a way to cope with his stage IV cancer diagnosis. \u201cYou have been an outstanding example of faith,\u201d his mom, Kimberly Martin, said in a eulogy delivered during his Saturday, July 5, memorial service. \u201cEven while being very ill with cancer, if [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During an appearance on Matt<\/strong> and Abby Howard<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cUnplanned\u201d podcast in October 2025, Shay opened up about having a baby with Tanner amid his cancer journey. She revealed that, before Tanner began treatment for his cancer in 2020, doctors recommended he bank his sperm in case the treatments made him infertile.<\/p>\n

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