May Rockin’ Richie rest in peace

Let’s talk about Rockin’ Richie. If you were one of the folks who followed him on TikTok, you know who I mean. And if not, let me fill you in a bit. Rockin’ Richie wasn’t some guy who set out to be an influencer. He ended up in that role because he was dealing with stage 4 colon cancer and decided to share his journey, his choices, and his struggles with the world. And yeah, a lot of people followed along.

After many of us following this journey we have come to a close. He has now succumbed to his Earthly fate, a few rumors have persisted for days since his last video but his brother went on Tiktok to announce this to his followers..

@rockin.richie.rich #hisjourney #pray #cancer #godisgood ♬ original sound – Rockin Richie

There was controversy wit this social media feed.. Richie talked about alternative treatments.. stuff that wasn’t the usual medical route. He was trying a mix of diet changes, water cleanses, and homeopathic approaches that didn’t have the backing of mainstream medicine. And when he talked about putting GoFundMe money into a trust fund for his daughter, some people got really suspicious. They started accusing him of faking the whole thing just to get money, which was tough to watch unfold.

But here’s the thing, Richie was a real person going through a brutal journey. And yes, it was his body, his choice. He decided to fight cancer his way, even if a lot of people, including doctors and nurses, might have wished he’d gone a more traditional route.

We all sort of went on that experimental path with him by watching his updates. He even did a Livestream a couple of months ago where he went to a doctor in real time, hoping to hear good news that his tumor had shrunk from these alternative treatments. Instead, he got the devastating news that the tumor had grown. It was heartbreaking for everyone watching, but Richie stuck to his chosen path.

On that note, there is also some commentary on us as people who followed him. He wanted to eventually come up with his own book and YouTube channel to talk about how he beat cancer. The doctors of course told him he wouldn’t, and he didn’t. But in the common threads on social media many people who supported him continued supporting his desire to do alternative treatments, which in hindsight perhaps was a seemingly rotten thing to do. He just needed medicine but instead many in his fan base, loyal to the end, was encouraging him to avoid that. Just because it’s social media, doesn’t mean it’s all fake…

Maybe some people think that was foolish, and maybe others respect it as his personal choice. Either way, he fought his fight the way he wanted to, in the end.

Now he’s at peace.. whatever peace means, wherever we go after this life. And I bet deep down, even the people who disagreed with his treatment goals were probably rooting for him, because cancer is something we all wish we could see beaten for good.

So, may Rockin’ Richie rest in peace. We might not all agree on the path he took, but we can respect that he chose to share his journey and fought as hard as he could.