Extreme weight loss shows like My 600lb Life, 1000lb Sisters and 1000lb Best Friends often get fans rooting for the participants, who seek help from doctors like Dr Nowzaradan to combat their obesity struggles.
While plenty do manage to shift the weight and make life changing choices, others sadly succumb to various health woes and pass away earlier than they should. Cast member deaths over the years have left fans devastated after seeing their journeys start to end on the programme.
The youngest ever participant to die was Sean Milliken, who was only 29 years old when he lost his life to infection. His father confirmed at the time: “Sunday he was having problems with his breathing, they were able to resuscitate him and a short time later his heart stopped.”
READ MORE: Woman who had ‘first on-screen orgasm’ forced to change name after filming racy scenes
READ MORE: Want more showbiz? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
Sadly he wasn’t the only star or even the last to die, as 2023 has seen yet more TLC stars pass away after battling issues with their weight. Daily Star takes a look back at those we sadly had to say goodbye to.
Larry Myers Jr.
(Image: TLC)
In June 2023, Larry Myers Jr. died just days after turning 49. The gospel singer weighed an incredible 940lbs at his heaviest weight. But he managed to make incredible strides to regaining his health while on the show.
Larry slimmed down to around 300lbs but sadly gained more weight due to a depression battle after the show – intending to undergo a third weight loss surgery. But this year, he suffered a heart attack and sadly died.
His cousin Todd Darell wrote on social media: “Larry has fought the good fight. He has overcome some of the biggest challenges he has ever had to face. Rest well Junior, you will be missed. Thanks and blessings to all. Please keep our family in your prayers.”
Brandi Mallory
(Image: Facebook/Brandi Mallory)
Extreme Weight Loss star Brandi Mallory was sadly found dead in November 2023, in the parking lot of a Chipotle restaurant. Her body was found in her car by the Atlanta Police Department. She had left the restaurant with food and gone back to her vehicle, but never got out again.
Brandi dropped 151lbs in 2014 when she appeared in season four of the ABC reality show. Her official cause of death was complications of obesity, the Fulton County Medical Examiner concluded.
Lisa Fleming
With a heaviest weight of 704lbs, Lisa Fleming decided she needed to take drastic action after finding live maggots living in the folds of her skin. She developed a horrific infection in her leg and eventually lost more than 200lbs on the show.
When her daughter headed over to help her, she pulled the folds of her skin apart to discover live maggots living there. But despite intervention, Lisa fell back on her diet plan again and again, and passed away aged 50 in August 2018.
Her daughter Danielle said: “At the end she was sick and her body was tired and her body just gave out. Mommy, I love you from here to the stars and back! Those babies loved you even more. I’m happy you’re no longer in pain and stuck in that bed.”
Kelly Mason
It was a “new world” for Kelly Mason when she quickly shifted the pounds with Dr Now’s help, but it wasn’t to be. By 2019 she had sadly died in her sleep after suffering a heart attack – just one day before she was due to turn 42.
She was still filming the show, around her ninth month. Dr Now paid an emotional tribute to her on TLC, telling viewers: “Kelly tried very hard and fought all the way to the end. She’s an inspiration.”
James King
Making his first appearance on My 600lb Life in 2017, James King sadly gained weight instead of losing it. He went from 791lbs to 840lbs, and sadly passed away in April 2020.
He was dismissed from the programme by Dr Now, after he called Adult Protection Services on his wife Lisa, who he suspected was sneaking food to James while he was preparing for weight loss surgery.
James was 49 at the time. He was survived by his wife, six children and an incredible 19 grandchildren. A source told The Sun that he died from kidney failure and went into septic shock at St Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville.
Laura Ann Perez
Starring on season three of My 600lb Life, Laura Ann Perez lost an incredible 300lbs under Dr Now’s tutelage – dropping to just 13 stone after her time on the programme. She had four fifths of her stomach removed due to an enlarged liver and spleen in a gastrectomy, and almost died of pneumonia after the surgery.
Sadly, it appears she died in November 2021, as the Castillo Funeral Home shared an obituary for her, though no cause of death was given. She was 48 years old and had kept the weight off – but reports claim stress might have ended her life early.
Caleb Willingham
(Image: TLC)
In June 2023, 1000lb Sisters star Tammy Slaton lost her husband Caleb Willingham, who she had married in a food rehabilitation centre. His stepmother Shirley confirmed the news to TMZ, after Tammy filed for divorce.
Caleb struggled to follow his diet plan while appearing on the show, while Tammy’s weight plummeted by 440lbs. Upon their wedding day, Tammy told People Magazine: “Our wedding day was perfect, there was so much love in the room. I literally married my best friend.”
Her sister Amanda Halterman posted a lengthy tribute to Caleb online, writing: “Please whisper a prayer for our family and all of Caleb’s family. Caleb Willingham is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Heaven got a good one!”
Coliesa McMillian
In September 2020, Coliesa McMillian lost her life after starring on season eight of My 600lb LIfe, due to complications from weight loss surgery. She never fully recovered from the operation.
Coliesa previously suffered a heart attack, with doctors unable to rectify the damage due to her excessive weight. She was put on life support in June 2020, “confined to a bed 24/7” and in a “lot of pain” when she died aged 41.
Robert Buchel
One of the few stars to pass away while still filming My 600lb Life, Robert Buchel sadly died after shedding 340lbs from his starting weight of 840lbs. He was battling an addiction to painkillers and suffered a fatal heart attack while filming.
His story aired posthumously in 2017, with his devastated fiancée Kathryn admitting: “I’m surviving most of the time, that’s what it comes down to, in all honesty… I have had not an easy year. It was hard enough, but people saw an edited version of the show due to time constraints that omitted a lot of things that were going on outside of that.”
Destinee LaShaee
My 600lb Life’s first ever trans star, Destinee LaShaee weighed in at 700lbs when they first appeared on the show. But afterwards, they dropped an incredible 500lbs.
Sadly, it was later implied Destinee took their own life after the death of their other sibling Destiny. Their brother Wayne confirmed the passing on Facebook, writing: “No no no I’m sorry bro, I accept you for who you are, I accept every flaw that come with you, I’m sorry you felt alone, I’m sorry you felt you had nobody else to turn to.
“I’m sorry you felt you had no other option Destiny wouldn’t [have] wanted this, lord why keep taking my siblings away, how much can I take.”
James ‘LB’ Bonner
James ‘LB’ Bonner weighed 650 pounds when he first appeared on My 600lb Life, but managed to shed more than half his body weight during his time on the show. He also got sober after qualifying for gastric band surgery and dropped to just 200lbs.
Sadly things went from bad to worse for the star when the cameras stopped rolling, as he instead lost his battle with depression and took his own life in August 2018. He was just 30 years old, telling fans the day before his death: “It’s time that I face my demons head on.”
His body was found by a cop from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, in a park close to his home. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Renee Biran
Plus sized model Renee Biran was 56 years old when she died in May 2021. She had been previously diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which can cause complications including cardiac arrest, lung clots and blood infection – though no official cause of death was confirmed.
She managed to lose more than 250lbs during her time on the show, but her diagnosis turned her world on its head. She was survived by her seven children and 28 grandkids.
Henry Foots
Another star who lost more than half his body weight, Henry dropped from 750lbs to 275lbs. But during an operation to cut off his excess skin from such dramatic weight loss, he died on the operating table.
That time, doctors managed to bring Henry back to life, and he said at the time: “There was the light to take me to heaven. I wasn’t ready for it, because there’s so much here on earth I haven’t done yet.” But a year later, he died for real, with no official cause of death confirmed.
Gina Krasley
My 600lb Life star Gina Krasley dropped 300lbs on the show, down from 600 pounds initially. She was sadly hospitalised a month later in April 2021, with mobility issues, a possible infection and an eating disorder. Suffering extreme pain in her legs, she was left unable to move.
She died in August that year aged only 30, survived by her wife, sister and mother. No cause of death was confirmed.
Ashley Randall
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
In 2021, the world lost another My 600lb Life star, when 40-year-old Ashley Randall succumbed to an infection and caught pneumonia while in hospital. She had previously shed an incredible 400lbs during her weight loss programme.
Ashley passed away after her body became septic, despite her incredible efforts at losing weight.
Follow Daily Star on Threads here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
