Cormac Roth: Tim Roth’s son and musician dies from germ cell cancer age 25 - what is choriocarcinoma?

Cormac Roth, the son of Tim Roth, died on Sunday after a long battle with germ cell cancer
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Musician Cormac Roth died on Sunday 16 October, his family announced yesterday (31 October) from cancer. Cormac had been fighting a rare form of cancer for almost a year and shared his health journey on his Instagram page. Cormac is survived by his parents, Tim Roth and Nikki Butler, one brother, and one half-brother.

Tim Roth and Cormac RothTim Roth and Cormac Roth
Tim Roth and Cormac Roth

Who was Cormac Roth?

Michael Cormac Roth, known by his middle name, was a guitarist, composer and producer - he released his album, Python, in 2018. He also worked on the music for the 2020 Michel Franco sci-fi New Order about a high society wedding which turns into a violent coup.

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Cormac was the son of Reservoir Dogs actor Tim Roth and fashion designer Nikki Butler. Cormac has an older brother, Timothy Hunter Roth, and an older half-brother, Jack Roth, who has starred in Medici, Rogue One, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Cormac revealed on his Instagram account this July that he had been diagnosed with stage three germ cell cancer, called choriocarcinoma, in November 2021 and that he had undergone treatment including chemotherapy, transfusions, and surgery. 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.”

What is choriocarcinoma?

Choriocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer that normally affects women during pregnancy, but can also affect men. In males, choriocarcinoma is a rare form of germ cell tumour. In men, it presents as a testicular cancer. Choriocarcinoma is an aggressive type of testicular germ cell tumour and has a five year survival rate of under 80%.

Choriocarcinoma normally develops in the testes in men, although in rare cases it can develop in other parts of the body, including the brain, lungs, and breast. Even though it is most commonly found in the testes, it is very rare, making up less than 0.3% of testicular germ cell tumours. Cormac said that the illness took away half of his hearing and caused him to lose 60 lbs (4.2 stone) in weight. He also said that it caused him to lose confidence.

What has Tim Roth said about his son?

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A family statement was issued in tribute to Cormac - it read: "A graduate of Bennington College, Cormac was an exceptionally gifted and extraordinary musician whose passion and love for making music stretched back to when his guitar was bigger than he was.

"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."

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