My 600lb Life stars who died – suicide, weight loss and operating table death
My 600lb Life charts the journey of various people struggling with their weight – and has seen some epic transformations over the years with the help of Dr Now.
But despite weight loss surgeries, lifestyle overhauls and more, things don’t always go to plan, and some of the stars have sadly passed away over the years.
Unfortunately, some of those deaths occur even after a complete lifestyle change and incredible transformation, with stars successfully ditching the pounds but sadly still succumbing to illness.
READ MORE: My 600lb Life's Paula Jones unrecognisable in teeny swimsuit snap after epic weight loss
Daily Star is taking a look back at those TLC stars who died since the show began in 2012.
Destinee LaShaee
Destinee LaShaee made TLC history as My 600lb Life’s first ever trans star, beginning with a starting weight just under 700 pounds.
Their weight loss was an inspiration to others on the programme, losing more than 500 of those pounds in an incredible transformation.
Destinee also went under the name Matthew Ventress, and their death was sadly announced by their brother Wayne in a Facebook post in February 2022.
It came after Destinee’s other sibling, Destiny, died in 2021 – leaving Wayne devastated as he wrote: “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 too.
“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.”
No cause of death was officially released, but it is implied Destinee took their own life.
Sean Milliken
Sean weighed more than 900 pounds – that’s more than 64 stone – when he first appeared on the programme, and successfully shed more than 400 of those with the help of weight loss surgery.
Sean was bedbound for much of filming, and had to be helped to wash and turn over.
He also suffered a string of tragic incidents while filming was going on, with his mum sadly dying suddenly and his apartment flooding during Hurricane Harvey.
He passed away at the age of just 29 in February 2019, with his father confirming the cause was complications related to an infection.
His dad said: “Sunday, he was having problems with his breathing. They were able to resuscitate him and a short time later, his heart stopped.”
James ‘LB’ Bonner
James Bonner, better known as LB on My 600lb Life, stunned fans when he managed to lose more than half of his body weight after initially weighing in at 650 pounds.
But the star struggled with depression, and took his own life in August 2018 – just one week before his co-star Lisa Fleming, also from season six of the show, also died.
He was just 30 years old.
He told fans the day before his death: “It’s time that I face my demons head on.”
Lisa Fleming
Bedridden and weighing more than 700 pounds, Lisa Fleming appeared on the same series as LB. It took seven paramedics just to get her out of her house.
Lisa lost 200 pounds with the programme’s help, but sadly fell ill shortly after. Even after the weight loss, Lisa wasn’t able to recover.
She was 50 when she passed away, with her daughter Danielle sharing a statement which read: “I am truly at a loss for words right now.
“This morning I sat and held your hand for four hours knowing nothing I could've done would bring you back to me. Anybody who knows me knows I gave my mother my ALL! I'm happy you're no longer in pain and stuck in that bed."
Kelly Mason
Kelly Mason weighed 724 pounds when she first appeared on the scene at Dr Now’s surgery, and pulled off an incredible transformation in just a few months.
Kelly said she was in a “new world” after quickly shifting the pounds, but sadly it didn’t last.
She died in her sleep in 2019 after suffering a heart attack, just a day before her 42nd birthday and around the ninth month of filming the show.
Dr Now said on the show: “Kelly tried very hard and fought all the way to the end. She’s an inspiration.”
James King
James King first appeared on My 600lb Life in 2017, and sadly died in April 2020 after making several follow-up appearances.
James went from weighing 791 pounds during his first appearance on the show, and during a follow-up a year later weighed 840 pounds.
The cause of his death was not revealed, though James was survived by his wife, six children and 19 grandkids.
He was 49.
Coliesa McMillan
In September 2020, season eight star Coliesa McMillan sadly died due to complications from weight loss surgery, from which she never recovered.
It came after the death of her fiancé, who died in a car crash before Coliesa started filming for TLC.
She was just 41, and weighed 643lb when she appeared on the programme. She had previously suffered a heart attack and doctors were unable to correct the damage as her weight meant an operation wasn’t possible.
Coliesa’s family revealed that she was put on life support in June 2020, and was “confined to a bed 24/7” as well as being in “a lot of pain”.
Her daughter Hannah confirmed the news of her death on Facebook.
Gina Krasley
Gina Krasley was desperate for help when she first approached Dr Now – and managed to drop an incredible 300 pounds from her initial 600lb in order to be approved for weight loss surgery.
She confirmed: “I did this for me and only me, and I did this on my own.” Gina looked completely unrecognisable after her transformation.
A month later in April 2021, Gina was hospitalised with mobility issues, a possible infection and eating disorder.
She didn’t receive a diagnosis for the condition, which remained a mystery, but it left her immobile and caused pain in her legs.
She died at the age of 30 in August 2021, though no cause was confirmed.
Gina was survived by her wife, sister and mother.
Henry Foots
Beloved TLC star Henry Foots was only the second person to be helped by Dr Now on air, initially weighing in at 750 pounds.
He lost more than half his body weight on the programme, ending up at 275 pounds.
But his health issues sadly didn’t end there, as during a procedure to surgically remove his excess skin, Henry died on the operating table – but was brought back to life.
He said: “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.”
Henry sadly died a year later, though no cause of death was confirmed.
Robert Buchel
Season six star Robert Buchel died while filming for the TLC show – even after shedding 340 pounds from his initial weight of 840lb.
But the star was also struggling with a painkiller addiction, and suffered a fatal heart attack while filming – leaving behind his grieving fiancée Kathryn.
His story aired four months after Robert’s death in 2017.
Kathryn said: “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."
Laura Ann Perez
Laura Ann Perez made her name on season three of the TLC show, and managed to drop a whopping 300 pounds during her time in Dr Now’s programme.
Instead of undergoing a gastric bypass procedure, 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.
Laura had one of the most dramatic transformations ever seen on My 600lb Life, slimming down to an incredible 182 pounds – that’s 13 stone.
Sadly, it seems the star died in Novemher 2021, with the Castillo Funeral Home sharing an obituary for the star.
She is survived by her parents and sisters.
Ashley Randall
In a huge transformation, series one star Ashley Randall shed an eye-watering 400 pounds during her time on the TLC show.
She initially weighed in at 617 pounds, and had faced plenty of tragedy in her life – including her father’s death to cancer and toxic behaviour from her mother.
Sadly even after her epic weight loss, Ashley died in October 2021 aged 40. She had been fighting an infection and caught pneumonia while in hospital.
She passed away after her body became septic.
Renee Biran
Just 56 years old at the time of her death, My 600lb Life star Renee Biran died in May 2021.
She was 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.
Plus-size model Renee was 631 pounds at the time of joining the TLC show, and managed to lose more than 250 pounds during her journey. But her diagnosis turned her world upside down.
Renee was survived by her seven children and 28 grandkids.
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