Nashville, Tennessee- After his serenade became viral, Ben Ellis, a teacher who was fighting an aggressive type of cancer, died Friday.
He and his family had recently decided to stop his treatment, and the story of his serenade given by more than 400 of his students was known internationally after country star Tim McGraw published the video on his Facebook page. According to Nashville’s News Channel 5, the school announced the death of the teacher Ben Ellis in an email sent to parents. He died Friday morning after a long battle with cancer.
The letter said: “With deep sadness and a very heavy heart, I write to tell you that our beloved Ben Ellis has passed away. Since last December, millions of people around the world have prayed for Ben to be healed of his cancer. Today, Ben entered heaven full healed; he is home.”
Ellis and his family decided to stop treatment after dealing with the disease since December 2015. But esophageal cancer could not separate the inspiring teacher to continue to go to classes and be there for his students. A representative wrote to the ABC News Ellis remained involved in the CPA community despite his extensive treatment.
Ben Ellis taught Latin and the Bible in the Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2008. His wife Shelley and his five children all attend the same school.
Nate Morrow, the headmaster of the school, said Ellis was one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen in his entire life. He added the beloved teacher was one of the kindest and internationally loving people he had ever met in his life. Morrow stated that what characterized Ellis was he always pursued other people in wanting to get to know them and love them.
Hundreds of students sang outside Ellis windows to show their support
On September 7, more than 400 faculty members and students gathered outside the home of Mr. Ellis to let him now they were there for him as he was there for them.
They played instruments and sang for 30 minutes. The story reached international headlines after Tim McGraw published the video of the serenade on his Facebook page. The video has over 30 million views and has been shared over 565 thousand times.
Ellis’ father thanked the singer for sharing his son story. He wrote in the video comments that through his ministry and teaching, Ellis had positively touched countless hundreds of lives directly and thousands indirectly.
The video shows Ben Ellis smiling and even quietly singing along with the students. He is weakened by the cancer and bald from his treatment, but he seems happy for the surprise.
The school headmaster read a later Ellis wrote for his students after they came to his house and gave him the heart-touching surprise. He said he believes now, more than ever, that God is good, and the He is with all of us. Ellis continued and said he was full of hope, peace, and joy and that he wished all of that for them.
Source: ABC News