YouTuber Tayta Games dies aged 21 following colon cancer diagnosis

YouTube creator La’tayvia Deshay Ransom, widely known online as Tayta Games, has died at the age of 21 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Her father confirmed her death in a Facebook post on September 17, explaining that the cancer had spread to her liver. He also noted that she would have celebrated her 22nd birthday nine days later. “My oldest daughter passed this morning,” he wrote.

“My baby had colon cancer that spread to her liver. La’tayvia Deshay Ransom would have been 22 years old in nine days. I’ve been doing two-a-days at the hospital for the past week, praying for the best. Talking to her made me so optimistic. I just can’t believe I lost my child.”

Her brothers also addressed her audience in a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, sharing the news with her community of followers.

Tayta had built a social media presence of more than one million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. She became known for comedic reaction videos and gameplay content featuring titles such as Minecraft, Dress to Impress, and various independent horror games.

Alongside her gaming content, she openly documented her cancer journey, first revealing her diagnosis in 2024 and later posting updates during her chemotherapy treatment.

In the comments of her most recent video, uploaded five months ago, she told viewers: “I’m doing okay!! I haven’t been posting because I’m experiencing the side effects from chemo,” adding that she was dealing with peripheral neuropathy and missed interacting with fans.

Her twin brother also paid tribute on Instagram, remembering her as the “sweetest” and “funniest” person. He wrote: “Once I astral project, we gon’ travel dimensions together. No worries, yo crazy twin brothers gon’ hold it down, but I’ll be seeing you soon my immortal warrior.”