Nolan Sousley died Sunday at age 52, according to Kidwell-Garber Funeral Homes.

In March, the story of the Versailles man exploded across the internet after Bolivar police and a security guard searched his hospital room for marijuana. Sousley and his family posted a live video of the incident to Facebook on March 6.

The video shows officers searching Sousley's bags. Sousley refuses to let them search one of his bags.

"It has my final day things in there," Sousley says on the video, "and nobody’s going to dig in it. It’s my stuff, it’s my final hour stuff is in that bag. It’s my right to have my final — I’m not digging it down here in front of everybody."

Sousley denied possessing marijuana in the video. Despite the November 2018 passage of Amendment 2 by Missouri voters, creating a constitutional right for patients suffering "any terminal illness" to possess marijuana, the Missouri health department had yet to implement an application system for medical marijuana qualifying patient ID cards.

The Bolivar police chief later confirmed that officers found no marijuana in Sousley's room and issued no citations. CBD oil was found among his belongings, Sousley's fiancée later confirmed to the News-Leader.

With much of the incident captured on shareable video, Sousley's case quickly sparked social media outrage and news coverage. It also became a subject of conversation at a Springfield forum put on by Missouri health department officials who were seeking public feedback about the state's fledgling medical marijuana program.

In the March video and in comments to the News-Leader, Sousley and his family said he sometimes took marijuana to manage pain and appetite issues due to stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis he received in May 2018.

Sousley was being treated at CMH hospital on March 6 because he had been experiencing episodes of high fever, blood pressure problems and a seizure, said his fiancée, Amber Kidwell. She said he had recently taken a pause from chemotherapy because it had not been effective.

Later, Sousley issued a statement in which he praised the care offered by his doctor and CMH health center staff and said the hospital-room search "happened as a result of an overzealous security guard, who made a baseless allegation for whatever reason."

The News-Leader reached out to Kidwell and the Sousley family Tuesday morning for their memories of Sousley's life but has not yet heard back.

A social media page devoted to "Nolan's Tribe of Warriors for Cannabis" was filled with tributes for Sousley posted Sunday and Monday.

Kidwell posted late Sunday night, "This year and half has been the hardest I’ve had to go through. I had to let go of my best friend, I could not hold on any longer. I watched him fight so hard. I watched him not take defeat. But tonight he didn’t let go of the fight but he decided to join his new tribe."

One woman wrote, "RIP buddy. You are still an inspiration to many. Your courage and strength reached people across the states."

A man wrote, "Don't got to fight anymore buddy! Just rest up and wait for us all to come join you! You'll be truly missed brother! I pray your family can find peace in these tough times."

Sousley was born Dec. 28, 1966, according to Kidwell-Garber Funeral Homes' website. Along with his fiancée, Sousley was survived by several family members. A Versailles-based funeral home representative said Tuesday morning that a full obituary and service information was pending.

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