The story of a 22-year-old Japanese man who died from cancer has touched many people online. It’s because of one final message he scheduled before his death.
Kanaru Nakayama passed away on 12 October after fighting multiple cancers for a long time. The next day, at around 5 PM, his friend announced the news on his social media account. He thanked everyone who had supported him during his illness, according to Taiwan-based ANIMA.
He posted that Nakayama had passed away peacefully on the night of 12 October, according to the publication. However, at 7 PM the following evening, his account automatically posted another message, which can be roughly translated as: “Gee, I’m dead! LOL.”
This is a well-known meme language from the Japanese forum NanJ. It is often used to express dark humour about death.
The post spread quickly, sparking a wave of emotion across the country. Many people felt the message reflected his personality because he had always used humour to talk about his illness.
His final words became a symbol of courage as strangers online shared memories, condolences and respect for his optimistic spirit. So far, the post on Twitter (now X) has garnered nearly 367 million views and 1 million likes.
It was a scheduled post by Nakayama before his death. He used the humour he was known for to say the final goodbye.
According to reports from Japanese outlets Livedoor News and Osu News, Nakayama was diagnosed with a rare cancer in October 2023 and received treatment at the Hokkaido Cancer Center.
He documented his illness on social media. From treatments to hair loss, he used humour to fight his battle with cancer. He wrote posts like “The anti-cancer drugs made me bald lol” and “Looks like I’m going to die soon”.
Even while suffering pain, he answered questions with a cheerful tone. One anonymous user wrote: “If one day you stop posting, I hope your name appears in Hokkaido’s obituary column so I can know what happened.”
He replied in his usual style: “Check if there’s someone named Kanaru Nakayama in Sapporo’s Higashi Ward.”
He already knew his time was short, yet he still chose to face it with humour.
The user shared a screenshot of donating 2,000 yen ( ₹1,150) as a one-time contribution to support cancer research and medical development.
According to ANIMA, the foundation’s number of donations jumped from 7,500 to 10,500 in two days. They received nearly 3,000 donations in a short time, soon after Nakayama’s death.
“Somehow, as an old-school netizen, I feel proud. Yeah, that's right, the internet was originally supposed to have this kind of vibe. You, the host, and all of you guys have humour and sarcasm, but it's still a kind world. It's amazing that you've managed to protect a world like this. Thank you so much for showing me such a world even in tough times. With all due respect, rest in peace,” wrote another user.
Another user wrote, “I think there will be mixed opinions, but it's such an elegant way to live. What thoughts did they have while living each day, and what was on their mind at the moment of passing? Somehow, it makes me want to cry…”
“I've been a netizen for a long time, but this might be the first time I've seen such a beautiful way to go. I offer my utmost respect to you, who never lost the mental leeway to set up jokes right up to the end, even while harbouring the fear of death,” came from another.