FITNESS influencer Alessandro Antonicelli has died at the age of 26 after a two-year cancer battle.
The Italian content creator shared his struggle against the disease on social media, and tragically passed away on December 4.
A fundraiser set up in his name has already gathered hundreds of thousands of pounds for the National Cancer Institute of Milan.
An Instagram post announcing the sad news read: “Today the world is a bit emptier: Ale flew away, free from pain, finding the peace he deserved.
“We know how much you’ve loved and supported him, but now we ask you to protect this painful time his family, girlfriend and friends are going through.”
Alessandro, who had almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, initially grew popular for his workout content.
However, over the last two years, he opened up about his cancer diagnosis and used his reach to help raise money for cancer research.
The Italian first shared the news in August 2023 that doctors had found a malignant bone tumour after he went to them with chronic fatigue.
He wrote at the time: “I am sure that the sports mentality and that of studying that I have gained over the years will be of great help to face this battle.
“I don’t know what’s waiting for me, but I know I’m strong.”
Alessandro started a course of chemotherapy, and in December 2023 had large sections of one of his legs and parts of his hips surgically removed, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser.
His leg was reconstructed with a prosthetic femur (thigh bone).
Despite the best efforts of medics, which included another round of chemotherapy, two more tumours were found in August 2024 – one on his collar bone and one at the base of his spine.
After that, Alessandro moved to Milan to pursue his dream of studying Nutrition and Human Nutrition.
His treatment continued and entailed radiotherapy – but this too proved ineffective.
A glimmer of hope seemed to appear in July this year after more chemotherapy, as only the tumour at the base of his spine remained.
However, his condition spiralled over the following months, and he spent most of his time in hospital.
A tribute to Alessandro on the GoFundMe appeal reads: “Ale is gone, but his example remains. He showed us what it means to hold on to life, even when it hurts. And his words will continue to speak to us: ‘Life is always worth living.’”
