Since My 600-lb Life premiered in 2012, several participants have died from related and unrelated causes. The show has aired on TLC with good ratings for 12 seasons, with its season 12 finale airing on April 17, 2024. During each season, audiences have connected with participants who, against all odds, stayed committed to losing weight. So far, 17 participants/patients who appeared on the show have died.
My 600-lb Life follows the lives of morbidly obese individuals who often weigh at least 600 pounds. The show follows their journey to lose weight under the supervision of Dr. Younan Nowzaradan (Dr. Now), who provides a strict diet and recommendations for gastric bypass surgery or sleeve gastrectomy to shed weight to healthy levels. Although several individuals successfully lose significant weight, a few have died during or after filming. These have been the saddest My 600-lb Life deaths.
Coliesa McMillian
Coliesa McMillian was on My 600-lb Life season 8. When she was introduced on the show, she was a 41-year-old mother of four from New Roads, Louisiana, who weighed 643 pounds. Coliesa McMillian suffered a heart attack that required a surgical operation to correct the damage. However, because of her weight, she wasn’t certified as a good patient for surgery.
While she battled her food addiction, Dr. Now was mostly concerned about her heart’s health. Despite her struggles with addiction, McMillian did her best and lost 144 pounds on the show. Coliesa McMillian died about 5 months after her season ended, on September 22, 2020. Coliesa McMillian died from complications related to her weight loss surgery.
Larry Myers Jr.
Larry Myers Jr. was another audience favorite during his time on My 600-lb Life season 10. The 45-year-old Larry was from Albany, New York, and weighed 648 pounds at the start of his episode. As a germaphobe, Larry Myers Jr. ensured he showered daily despite his weight. He was nicknamed “Mr. Buttermilk Biscuits” after singing about his favorite foods. Larry was a gospel singer who had sung for others since he was young. He managed to shed 118.1 pounds on the show. Larry Myers Jr. died on June 13, 2023, three days shy of his 49th birthday, from a heart attack.
Kelly Mason
Besides debuting on the show with a weight of 725.5 pounds, Kelly Mason was one of the participants with whom audiences almost immediately connected. Kelly Mason had died with lots of trauma and neglect all her life, having been sexually abused as a child by a neighbor. Throughout her time on the show’s season 7, Kelly Mason fought to lose weight and stay healthy. Kelly had her future planned out to return to college. She lost an astonishing 342 pounds during the show. The 41-year-old Kelly Mason from Greensboro, North Carolina, died of heart failure on February 15, 2019. She became the second participant to die on My 600-lb Life during filming.
Sean Milliken
26-year-old Sean Milliken from Cameron Park, California, debuted on My 600-lb Life season 4, weighing 919 pounds. Even Dr. Now admitted he’s one of the heaviest on the show and possibly the heaviest living person. As much as Sean was in dire need of losing weight to save his life, it became obvious his mother was his enabler. Sean and his mother shunned Dr. Now’s strict 800-calorie diet and returned with Sean weighing 1,003 pounds after several weeks.
However, after being forced to stay in the hospital for two months, Sean lost 300 pounds. In total, during his episode run in the season, Sean Milliken lost 455 pounds. Sadly, Sean Milliken died on February 17, 2019, from complications due to an infection caused by poor hygiene. At age 29, Sean Milliken is the youngest death on My 600-lb Life. It is considered one of the saddest because many believed it was avoidable if his mother hadn’t enabled him for years.
Destinee LaShaee
27-year-old Destinee LaShaee from Pineville, Louisiana, made history on My 600-lb Life season 7 as the first transgender patient on the show. Although she didn’t look it, especially because of her height, she weighed 669 pounds at the start of her episode. During her time on the show, Destinee LaShaee lost a total of 229 pounds. However, she continued to work on herself afterward and reportedly lost a total of 500 pounds. With a growing fanbase on social media, Destinee LaShaee’s death came as a huge shock to everyone. She died on February 8, 2022, at age 31, from an undisclosed reason. However, her last posts on social media gave hints she might have been battling with depression. Destinee LaShaee would have been one of My 600-lb Life‘s biggest success stories.
James “L.B.” Bonner
James “L.B.” Bonner became morbidly obese after a 2013 car accident caused him to lose the lower part of his right leg. The 29-year-old from Lexington, South Carolina, appeared on My 600-lb Life season 6, weighing 642.3 pounds. At the end of the season, James had lost 316 pounds. His determination to lose weight not only impressed audiences but Dr. Now. After losing so much weight, James had to get a new, smaller prosthetic leg. James “L.B.” Bonner died by suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot on August 2, 2018, at age 30. It was shocking news to anyone who had followed his progress. Having won his physical weight battle, James reportedly struggled mentally.
Henry Foots
Having appeared on the first season of My 600-lb Life, 47-year-old Henry Foots from Houston, Texas, has been one of the most memorable participants on the show. Henry joined the show weighing 715 pounds and lost over half the weight (440 pounds) before the end of the season. Although a success story, Henry Foots’ life after the show left audiences in shock. While working as a bus driver, Henry suffered a medical emergency that caused the death of a pedestrian and injuries to the bus passengers. More shocking was the news of his death from an unrelated illness. Henry Foots died on May 16, 2013, at age 54. Besides these 7 shocking My 600-lb Life deaths, read about My 600-lb Life star Gina Krasley, who died at 30.
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