‘You don’t always get to choose your destiny’: Musician Cormac Roth shared poignant final video before death

Cormac Roth’s final Instagram post before his death contained a powerful message about doing what you love.

The 25-year-old musician, who is the son of Pulp Fiction actor Tim Roth, died on 16 October after a “courageous battle with cancer”, his family announced on Monday (31 October).

Roth shared his last post on the social media site on 17 August, which was a video of him wearing a hat and blue t-shirt.

“All of you are so talented and it blows me away what I see everyday when I scroll through, it really does,” Cormac told his followers. “What you guys make is just incredible.”

He continued: “Just sink your teeth in and remember that life is short and you don’t always get to choose your destiny and you don’t always get to choose your future, but just be an undeniable force that lives and breathes the thing that you claim that you love and that you are and really do it.

“If it makes you happy, really do it. That’s all I got. I love you.”

The comment section of the video has since been flooded with messages of mourning from the musician’s fans.

Remembering Cormac as a “wild and electric ball of energy” with a “spirit filled with light and goodness”, his family wrote in a statement: “As wild as he was, Cormac was also the embodiment of kindness. A gentle soul who brought so much happiness and hope to those around him.

“The grief comes in waves, as do the tears and laughter, when we think of that beautiful boy across the 25 years and 10 months that we knew him. An irrepressible and joyful and wild and wonderful child. Only recently a man. We love him. We will carry him with us wherever we go.”

Born Michael Cormac Roth in 1996, the 25-year-old was the youngest of Reservoir Dogs star Tim’s two sons with his wife Nikki Roth. He released his debut album in 2018.

The musician was diagnosed in November 2021 with Stage 3 germ cell cancer (also known as Choriocarcinoma), a cancer that affects the body’s reproductive cells.

In July, Cormac had posted a video to Instagram of him playing guitar, in which he’d written about being diagnosed with his rare form of cancer.

“It has managed to stay many steps ahead of me no matter what I throw at it,” he wrote. “It has taken away half of my hearing, 60 pounds of weight, my confidence, and will continue its murderous path until I can manage to stop it some how, and kill it.

“But it hasn’t taken away my will to survive, or my love of making music. It hasn’t taken me down yet. If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, please feel free to reach out for it is an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything else.”

He added: “Love to you all please make sure to do the things that you love. Life is short. It is chaos. And you never know when it’s going to be you. Be well and go to the doctor. F*** cancer.”