Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Cormac Roth, musician son of actor Tim Roth, dies aged 25

The family of the young guitarist, composer and producer said his career was ‘just beginning to flourish’.

Naomi Clarke
Monday 31 October 2022 16:10 GMT
Cormac Roth, the musician son of actor Tim Roth, has died aged 25 following a cancer diagnosis (PA)
Cormac Roth, the musician son of actor Tim Roth, has died aged 25 following a cancer diagnosis (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Cormac Roth, the musician son of actor Tim Roth, has died aged 25 following a cancer diagnosis.

The young composer and producer died on October 16 but the news was announced by his family on Monday.

A statement from the family said: “On Sunday the 16th of October, we lost our beautiful boy Cormac after a courageous battle with cancer.

“He died peacefully in the arms of his family who loved and adored him.

“He fought with incredible bravery for the past year, and maintained his wicked wit and humour to the very end.”

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

Cormac Roth's family

A graduate of Bennington College in Vermont, Roth’s passion for music began when he was a child.

He went on to become a guitarist, composer and producer, with his family saying his career was “just beginning to flourish”.

They added: “He was a wild and electric ball of energy and his spirit was filled with light and goodness.

“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.”

In July, Roth said in an Instagram post he was diagnosed with a “rare” stage three germ cell cancer in November 2021.

Sharing a video of him playing the guitar, he wrote: “Since then I’ve been fighting it daily, throwing everything I can at it. Chemo, high dose chemo, medication, transplants, transfusions, surgeries etc.

“It is called Choriocarcinoma, it is rare, and it has managed to stay many steps ahead of me no matter what I throw at it.

“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 effected by cancer, please feel free to reach out for it is an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything else.

“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**k cancer.”

In his most recent and final post in August, Roth said in a video: “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 that thing that you claim you love and that you are. And really do it if it makes you happy.”

Roth is survived by his parents, Tim and Nikki Roth, and his brother, Hunter Roth.

London-born Tim Roth has starred in a number of Quentin Tarantino films, including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight, as well as portraying Emil Blonsky/Abomination in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in