Overview
- Will Roberts died early Thursday at 12:45 a.m. Central time at Rady Children’s Hospital with his parents and family at his bedside.
- His parents said they moved him to comfort care after the tumor spread to his brain and began to affect his mental capacity.
- Roberts spent about 18 months undergoing chemotherapy and a rotationplasty surgery and received an experimental therapy in early May after a viral video and outside contacts connected his team with the treatment developers.
- Thousands followed the family’s updates, churches organized prayers for him, and Alabama leaders including Gov. Kay Ivey and Sen. Tommy Tuberville issued public tributes to his courage.
- Osteosarcoma is a rare, aggressive bone cancer that often needs multiple treatments and complex surgery like rotationplasty, and the family says it will focus on preserving Will’s legacy while funeral plans remain pending.