Goodbye Luigi Martini, the Roman actor who spoke about cancer with a smile died at just 31 years old

Luigi Nicolas Martini, known to all as Gigi, a Roman actor and content creator known for his irony, his talent and his ability to face life with disarming lightness, has died at the age of 31. His most famous line has almost become a manifesto of how he got the disease that struck him: “I thought it was a bout of sleepinstead it was a brain tumorBehind that phrase, the strength of a boy who never wanted to be defined by the tumor.

First a chef, then an actor, Gigi Martini knew how to reinvent himself with the passion and curiosity of someone who wants to live every experience to the full. His love for cooking had led him to write a rhyming book, Gnocchi for me pleasea tribute to the Roman tradition seasoned with humor and poetry. Then came acting, a natural talent that opened the doors of the comedy group The CereBros, with whom he shared sketches, viral videos and a rare artistic understanding.

In 2020 the diagnosis of Anaplastic Astrocytoma had changed his life, but not his outlook. Between one cycle of treatment and another, Gigi continued to tell her story on TikTok and Instagram, giving her audience irony and truth, always with a smile. His videos were never a complaint, but an invitation to live with authenticity. In 2024 the disease had returned, but even in those most difficult months, the actor continued to share hope, words and jokes.

The memory of friends

The news of his death arrived through the channels of The CereBros, who greeted him with a message full of affection:

Today a piece of us goes away forever. With him a part of our history and our identity. Gigi was a pure person, even too pure, a gentle giant. It was enough for him to act and Rome was enough for him. Gigi was pure talent. That look, that intensity and those comic moments… remain in our productions and in everyone’s hearts.

My colleague Enrico Tamburini also wanted to remember him with words that strike at the heart:

I am not afraid of death, but of life. Because life, sometimes, can be truly infamous: it even takes it out on those who respect it, on those who love it. Like Luigi Nicolas Martini. Gigi loved to live… I love you, Gigi. You still won.

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