Ryan Hadley, a tattoo artist and entrepreneur who appeared on season 6 of Ink Master: Master vs. Apprentice, he died. He was 46 years old.
Hadley’s Instagram account shared that he died on Wednesday “surrounded by loved ones” after a battle with cancer. O ad added“Although his life was cut short, at that time he left a legacy in both the art and tattoo worlds. He loved his many fans, his friends and clients, and most of all, his children. He will be missed and always remembered. A legend forever.
Hadley began chemotherapy in December. But just a few months later, Hadley shared the tragic news that his “chemotherapy was not a success.” He added that his cancer had spread to his liver and lungs and that the cancer was “untreatable” and “death is the result.”
“I might be around for another week or maybe another 3 months, either way, I’m devastated to be leaving my kids behind,” he shared at the time. “Death doesn’t scare me at all…it’s the fact that my children are abandoned that makes me angry and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
A few days before her death, Hadley’s family began a “end-of-life donations“campaign to help pay for funeral expenses. According to the GoFundMe campaign, Hadley and her family “spent their remaining time together golfing, taking short trips, and tattooing.”
Hadley hails from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He appeared in the 6th season of Ink Master: Master vs. Apprentice, which aired in 2015 on Paramount Network. The spectacle, a Ink Master spinoff, featured presenter/judge Dave Navarro and judges/tattoo artists Chris Núñez and Oliver Peck.
Hadley was among 18 contestants competing for $100,000, a Dodge Challenger, a story in With paint magazine and the coveted title of Ink Master. He entered the competition with 15 years of experience owning and operating an art and tattoo gallery in Indiana. Hadley, however, was eliminated early in the competition and finished in 17th place.
He left behind his two sons and a daughter.
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