News
Ex-SIA steward of 13 years passes away aged 44 after battling lung cancer for 3 years
He experienced three relapses in three years.
October 24, 2026, 02:42 PM
Top image via Adrian Toh/Instagram
A former Singapore Airlines (SIA) leading steward has passed away on Oct. 23 at age 44 after battling Stage 4 lung cancer for three years.
Adrian Toh was diagnosed in June 2023, shortly after he resigned from SIA, where he had worked for 13 years.
He was about to start a new journey as a full-time self-employed property agent when he received the diagnosis.
In an Instagram post on Jun. 26, Toh said he had faced three relapses, major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy over three years.
Non-smoker who led a "healthy lifestyle"
In a Facebook post in September 2023, Toh said he had been keeping a low profile on social media for about 2.5 months. He wrote that he had decided to leave SIA after 13 years and start a career in real estate when the diagnosis came.
Despite being a non-smoker who lived a "healthy lifestyle", he acknowledged that lung cancer is one of the top cancers among men in Singapore.
At the time, he said he had completed four rounds of chemotherapy and that results were promising. He thanked his family, including his mother, who he said cared for him around the clock, and his friends in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
On Jun. 26, Toh said he had faced three relapses, major surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy over three years.
Toh kept up his fitness journey even while battling cancer, sharing with AsiaOne in an interview that he was at his "peak fitness level" in February 2025.
Toh sharing his fitness transformation. Photo via Adrian Toh/Facebook
Participated in Fashion for Cancer charity show
Toh was also passionate about Fashion For Cancer, a charity runway show founded by Ong Bee Yan, a senior model whose close family members, including her son, had died of cancer.
The show raises funds and lets cancer survivors showcase their resilience, strength and efforts in battling the disease. Toh called it one of his proudest projects of 2026.
He took part in the show on Aug. 29 in a wheelchair, after undergoing major surgery.
Many friends and online users left tributes when news of Toh's death was shared on his social media accounts.
About 40 to 50 friends and family members attended his cremation at Mandai Crematorium, according to Stomp. Among them were former colleagues from SIA, friends from Kuala Lumpur, and friends from Fashion for Cancer.
