The 18 stars who have died since appearing on My 600-lb Life

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The death toll for TLC's My 600-lb Life has hit 18 following the news of Charity Pierce's passing.

The former reality star, who appeared on the show over a decade ago, died January 27 aged 50 after reportedly suffering from various health ailments.

According to reports, Pierce died surrounded by loved ones months after being placed in hospice care.

Charity Pierce, who appeared on the TLC show My 600-lb Life in 2015, has died aged 50

Pierce is among several former cast members who have died in the wake of the appearing on the TLC series.

Pierce is among several former cast members who have died in the wake of the appearing on the TLC series.

A number of these late stars had to made huge strides toward improving their health, keeping up the momentum even after the cameras stopped rolling.

Here, Daily Mail looks back at the stories of those My 600-lb Life stars who have passed away since the show first premiered - and their brutal battles to overcome their food addiction in front of the camera.

Charity Pierce

Desperate: Pierce was convinced that going on the series was the only way to save her life

Pierce, who was once known as the 'world's fattest woman' after weighing in at 778 pounds, chronicled her efforts to lose weight on the TLC series in 2014, where she would drop 282lb.

Upon joining the show, the reality star was housebound yet was determined to have her story filmed by the network as she was convinced it was the only way to save her life.

She also felt filming the show would motivate her to lose enough weight to be able to travel and see her mother, who was dying of brain cancer.

At the time, although she was almost 200lb over the recommended weight for gastric surgery, but Houston-based surgeon Dr Younan Nowzaradan took her on and helped get down to 650lb over five months.

Sadly, the operation came too late for Pierce to see her mother, who died while she was recovering from surgery.

Tragic: Pierce was able to turn her life around with the help of therapy 

Pierce faced further procedures to tackle her ongoing health problems, which were caused by an addiction to food that was sparked by seeing her brutal father beat her mother.

In addition to her gastric surgeries, she also had to undergo an operation to remove the large masses of fatty deposits on her legs, which weighed 57lb on their own.

She almost died after going under the knife again to have 38lb of excess skin removed more than a year later, and the wound became infected. Pierce was rushed back into hospital in danger of going into septic shock.

Pierce appeared on TLC two years later alongside her daughter Charly on TLC's My 600lb Life: Where Are They Now? in 2016, where she expressed concerns her daughter had picked up her same unhealthy eating habits.

Luckily, the duo turned their lives around and they revealed that therapy played a huge part in their new lifestyle as it allowed them to address the psychological aspects of their dangerous dependency on food for emotional support.

Pauline Potter

Illness: Pauline Potter died on November 27 following a series of health issues 

Potter was in her 50s when she appeared on My 600lb Life a decade ago. 

When viewers first met the mom-of-one, she weighed 678lb and was being cared for by her son Dillon and her niece Megan. She had been named the heaviest woman alive in the Guinness Book of Records just four years prior. 

Potter wasn't able to do anything on her own except 'feed and wipe' herself.

She explained: 'I am absolutely trapped in this body. I let myself get way out of control. I feel like I am dying every day.'

Potter turned her life around after weight loss surgery and a change in diet, leading her to lose more than 500lb. 

Transformation: She was able to dramatically turn her life around with the help of the TLC series 

Tragedy struck earlier this year, however, when Potter and her son were involved in a car crash.

In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel, Dillon shared details of the collision and explained that they had smashed into a broken-down truck on a highway.

He claimed that they had been driving in the early hours of the morning and that the truck did not have its hazard lights on.

He said: 'My mom tried to swerve to go around it, but the passenger side of the car hit the side of the trailer and completely spun us around.

'When we stopped, we were facing the opposite direction on the opposite side of the road. At the time of impact, we were going 50mph.'

In the 11 months before her death, Potter had been dealing with a range of health issues including a blockage in her oesophagus, Covid, and respiratory failure. 

Latonya Pottain

Sad: Latonya Pottain died aged just 40

Pottain first appeared on the show in 2023 when her weight had left her mostly bedbound. 

In harrowing scenes, Pottain proclaimed that food 'took the stress away' as her carer brought her breakfast in bed.

She said: 'That's what I do to help me cope with things.

'I know the food is unhealthy and not good for me. But with the habit that I have for long, it's hard to change it. I'm disappointed in myself for getting to this place.'

She had visited with the show's Doctor Younan Nowzaradan five years prior when she was 482lb but had left the weight loss program.

Despite vowing she was determined to change after battling with her weight her whole life, Pottain struggled with the strict new diet and was seen eating fried food - before gaining weight at her next weigh-in.

Loss: The preliminary autopsy report found Pottain died from congestive heart failure, the Natchitoches Parish Coroner's Office revealed

She was later hospitalized after falling ill, with Dr Now saying he was concerned about her heart.

On a controlled diet in the hospital, she was able to drop to 594lbs - but later memorably clashed with Dr Now over her dislike of the healthy hospital food.

Pottain said: 'I haven't really ate since I been here' the Dr responded: 'You're not gonna fade away. You're gonna be fine.'

Pottain said: 'I still have to eat something' with Dr Now retorting: 'No, you've already eaten the food that belongs to the next four years ahead of time.'

He then told her that her heart and lungs were under immense pressure to her weight.

Pottain later took to Facebook to ask for prayers due to her heart issues.

She wrote: 'Y'all pray for me my heart not working right and there is nothing more the doctors can do here in Louisiana please keep me lifted.'

This year, she launched a GoFundMe to get urgent medical care - and revealed her weight was now more than 700lb.

She wrote: 'I'm currently getting close to my highest weight of 740 pounds and I worked extremely hard to get it down. Now I currently weigh about 705 pounds and have been bedridden since June 2024 due to severe health issues.

'After the show aired, I experienced overwhelming backlash, which sent me into a deep depression. My mental health suffered, and I became fearful of undergoing weight loss surgery.'

Larry Myers Jr. 

Artist: Larry Myers Jr. had struggled with his weight, but found his calling as a singer

Kind-hearted gospel singer Larry documented his struggles to overcome a lifelong binge-eating battle that left him weighing more than 940lb at his heaviest. 

Tragically, he became the 15th contributor to the show to die.  

Larry passed away on June 13, 2023 - just three days after his 49th birthday.

The gospel singer, who appeared on Season 10, won over countless fans with a viral moment that captured him singing about one of his favorite foods, earning him the nickname, 'Mr. Buttermilk Biscuits.' 

Over the course of his episode, he managed to shed about 118lb, down from his initial weight of 648lb.

Loved: Larry won over viewers with his talent as a gospel singer, often improvising tunes about the foods he loved

The Houston, Texas, resident had previously hit his highest-ever recorded weight of 940lb in the late aughts.

On a GoFundMe page set up by his family, a loved one wrote in tribute: 'Larry, aka 'Mr. Buttermilk Biscuits,' has used his musical talents to bless others since the age of 10. 

'From a small storefront church in his home town to the big stage of the Apollo theater, Larry always made himself available to sing at special events anytime anyone asked, most of the time free of charge. 

'His struggle with weight gain/loss never dimmed his drive to show love and kindness to all he met.' 

Angela Gutierrez

Absent: Angela Gutierrez shook up the show's typical story arc when she refused to go back to Dr. Now in person for any follow-up appointments

Angela died on March 21, 2023 at age 49. 

The Ohio native, as seen on Season 7, shook up the standard arc of the show after she missed her two-month, in-person, follow-up appointment with Dr. Now, then declined to move to Houston to join his program due to her fear about not having her family nearby.

Angela seemed committed to Dr. Now's diet while at home in the weeks and months after her initial appointment, at which she weighed in at 608lb.

Meeting Dr. Now over a video call three months later, she self-reported that she'd lost 70lb - though it soon became clear that this was her personal estimate, as she hadn't actually weighed herself. 

In their third and final meeting, which also took place over video, Dr. Now chastised Angela for avoiding returning to Houston.

'Right now, I think you're buying time. Because one of the delusions you've convinced yourself of is that you're going to do it eventually - but 'eventually' never comes, and then, one day, your body gives out, and that'll be it for you.'

Destinee LaShaee

Trailblazer: Destinee LaShaee was the first trans person to appear on the series

Destinee LaShaee, also from Season 7, has been to date the only trans person featured on the show.

Born a boy named Matthew to a teen mom, Destinee transitioned from male to female in young adulthood after coming out as gay in her late teens.

The Louisiana native, then 27, managed to shed 229lb off her initially 669lb frame - and reportedly went on to lose 500lb in total.

After filming concluded, she went on to use her social media presence to encourage others to not give up on themselves or their health amid their weight-loss journey.

However, she'd go on to sue production company Megalomedia, claiming producers caused her emotional distress and that she felt 'taken advantage' of for the sake of 'ratings.' 

Sadly, they passed away on February 8, 2022 at 31 years old. 

Candid: After filming the show, she continued on to document her weight loss on social media

Her cause of death has not been made public, but a series of concerning posts she made in the lead up to her passing suggest ongoing struggles with depression may have played a role. 

According to the The U.S. Sun, on the Saturday prior to her death she'd shared a post reading: 'To everyone who genuinely love and support me I love you and I'm grateful to have touched millions of lives and hearts around the world.

'Living my life with so much pain for so long I've come to realize that God makes no mistakes. I'm grateful for my journey and all I've been through. I don't regret a single moment. Love you all.'

Laura Ann Perez

Memorable: Laura Ann Perez was one of the show's greatest success stories before her passing

Laura, from Season 3, initially weighed in just a few pounds shy of the 600lb mark.

Dr. Now shared in a confessional: 'She's physically in one of the worst shape I have seen' - and counseled Laura to beat her sweet tooth.

The native of San Antonio, Texas, managed to make enough initial progress in losing weight to get gastric bypass surgery - which Dr. Now modified to a gastrectomy - despite fearing she wouldn't wake up from the procedure.

By the end of the episode, Laura had shed 237lb off her frame.

She reportedly went on to hit a low of 182lb, making her weight loss among the most drastic of anyone to appear on My 600-lb Life.

Unfortunately, despite her success, Laura died from an unknown cause on November 17, 2021, at age 48. 

Ashley Randall

Youthful: Ashley Randall, being 24 years old when filming started, was among the youngest people to appear on the show

Ashley's passing on October 2, 2021, at age 40 marked the second death out of the four Season 1 participants. 

While episodes of subsequent seasons span a single year of each person's life, the show's first season documented each individual's progress from 2004 to 2011.

After getting gastric bypass surgery, Ashley seemed to be thriving - having returned to college with hopes of obtaining her associate's degree and opening her own day care. 

She ultimately lost more than 250lb over the seven years fans saw of her life.

However, in a 2016 follow-up episode of My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?, Ashley was revealed to have gained a lot of the weight back.

Her cause of death was sepsis following an infection.

Gina Krasley

Heartbreaking: After almost halving her weight, Gina Krasley succumbed to a mystery illness in August 2021 at age 30

When viewers met Gina, then 28, her self-care was such that her wife, Beth, and her mother were fighting with her to simply get her to bathe once a month. 

The New Jersey native, featured on Season 8, grew up with a physically and emotionally abusive father. 

She and her sister would go out to get food to avoid him as a coping mechanism.

Gina hit 300 pounds by age 14 - and 450lb by her high school graduation. 

By the time she went to see Dr. Now, her weight had hit 606lb.

Unfortunately, across subsequent appointments, Gina's weight ticked upwards before it dropped only slightly, and Dr. Now dismissed her from his program.

After the show, Gina joined eight others who'd been featured in a lawsuit alleging the producers had caused 'intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence' within the filming process, according to The New York Post.

Among Gina's claims were that the producers had forced her to eat on camera to depict her as someone flouting Dr. Now's strict dieting guidelines.

Meanwhile, Gina had gained a TikTok following in the hundreds of thousands and documented further weight loss on the platform.

In spring of 2021, she declared on social media that she'd gotten down to 379lb.

But by late April 2021, things took a turn for the worse as Gina had seemingly come down with cellulitis - a bacterial skin infection that also attacks fat cells.

Shortly after, she began experiencing strange neurological symptoms too.

Just months later, Gina died from the mystery condition, or conditions, on August 1, 2021, at age 30.

Renee Biran

Dogged: Renee Biran weathered countless setbacks in her life and was still determined to lose her excess weight

In a show of heart-wrenching backstories, Renee's was arguably among the most pointedly so. 

The Tennessee native, who appeared on Season 6, came into the world as a result of her mother's affair with her best friend's husband.

Renee described feeling like her mom always resented her child out of her own shame at the mistake. 

She subsequently experienced verbal and physical abuse from her mother, sexual abuse from her stepfather from age 9 (of which her mother was well aware), teenage pregnancy and a string of abusive romantic partners. 

All the while, she coped by consuming food. 

After a car accident left her unable to continue working as a seamstress, Renee turned to sex work in online fetish communities - including one in which men would pay to watch her eat - to provide for her six children.

Before her transformation, Renee's weight clocked in at 631lb.

By the end of the episode, she'd lost an impressive 250lb, bringing her weight to a little under 400lb.

On May 14, 2021, Renee died age 56 from an unknown cause on May 14, 2021.

An online tribute wall dedicated to her memory is awash with messages from those who'd watched her journey on the show. 

As one fan wrote: 'She had many obstacles and she still fought so hard. Her personality was beautiful. I am broken hearted to hear she passed. May your family be blessed to have a wonderful mother. Rip Angel! xo.'

Coliesa McMillian

Deceased: Coliesa McMillian made huge strides in her weight loss, but ultimately died following weight-loss surgery at age 41

Coliesa McMillian, as seen on Season 8, was a mother of four from Louisiana whose weight had creeped up to 643lb prior to meeting with Dr. Now. 

She'd suffered a serious heart attack that left damage requiring surgical correction - but was too overweight to be put under for the procedure.

Over the course of her episode, she'd made stunning progress, achieving a lean 144 pounds. 

Sadly, she died from complications following a weight-loss surgery on September 21, 2020, at age 41 - about six months after her episode had aired.

A Facebook post from her family stated: 'I cannot begin to express into words what our family is beginning to feel.'

The post added: 'Tonight at 10:23 she sadly passed away from this life. We are asking that you please respect us. Thank you.'

James King

Obese: James King ultimately hit 840lb after his initial appearance on My 600-lb Life - one of the highest weights documented of anyone on the show

Living in Nashville, James was bedridden at 735lb when fans first met him.

The father of six, who viewers met in Season 5, was totally dependent on his wife, Lisa, for care.

Nearly a year into working with Dr. Now, James clocked in at nearly 790lb - making him the heaviest person to appear on the show at the time.

The father of six couldn't move from his bed or function day to day without assistance

His more than 50lb weight gain over 11 months was taken as an indication he was flouting Dr. Now's diet and exercise instructions, getting him dismissed from the program. 

In a later appearance on My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?, James was revealed to have shot up to 840lb.

He passed away on April 3, 2020, at age 49 due to various health complications including sepsis and cirrhosis of the liver.

Kelly Mason

Passed away: Kelly became the second person to die before filming concluded

Kelly started gaining weight amid a tumultuous childhood that included maternal neglect and sexual abuse at the hands of a neighbor.

Prior to going to Texas, she admitted in a confessional: 'I hope all the pain I went through wasn't for nothing, and that somebody thinks I'm worth helping.' 

The Greensboro, North Carolina, resident, who appeared on the show's seventh season, turned to a best friend to help take her to see Dr. Now in Texas.

She initially weighed in at 725lb, giving her a BMI of 117, which Dr. Now stated was close to the highest he'd ever seen. 

He later added: 'Every heartbeat she has right now is practically a miracle.'

Between dieting, physical therapy, and gastric bypass surgery, Kelly ultimately shed 342lb.

Kelly had been looking forward to finishing her college degree, stating of her goal: 'Now that I'm losing more weight, it's like a new world. Cause I want to live.'

Tragically, Kelly passed away from heart failure on the night of February 15, 2019 at age 41 - becoming the second person to pass away before filming concluded.

Sean Milliken

Upsetting: Sean reached one of the highest weights of more than 1,000lb

Sean Milliken, as seen on Season 4, was one of the younger participants in the series, aged 26 in his episode.

Viewers met the California resident when he hadn't been able to leave his mother's home for eight years.

Sean described himself as a bad-tempered child who later weathered his parents' divorce.

In his senior year of high school, a leg injury forced him to be bedridden, ultimately preventing him from graduating.

Since then, he described: 'I've been trapped in this bed and I've been getting bigger and bigger. To the point now that I don't even know what I weigh - and I'm scared to find out.'

Endearingly, besides watching TV, Sean had picked up a knitting hobby to pass the time.

Helpless: Sean had been bedridden for nearly a decade

Otherwise, Sean likened his state to 'purgatory - I can't go forward, I can't go back.'

He added: 'I need to lose weight just so I can live.'

On visiting Dr. Now for the first time, Sean's weight came out to 919lb.

Dr. Now instantly honed in on Sean's being enabled by his mother as a root cause of his overeating.

After his first visit with Dr. Now, Sean was reluctant to stick to the strict diet that'd been recommended to him, still allowing himself one fast-food meal per day.

Unsurprisingly, that strategy didn't work - and his next weigh-in two months later clocked in at 1,003lb. 

He then lost nearly 300lb over a two-month hospital stay, and ultimately lost the weight he'd needed to be approved for a gastric sleeve procedure, which was a success.

He ultimately lost 455lb over the course of the episode. 

Of the My 600-lb Life deaths to date, Sean succumbed at the youngest age - dying from complications due to an infection at 29 on February 17, 2019.

James 'L.B.' Bonner

Carer: L.B. had been totally reliant on his mother to help him with day-to-day tasks

L.B.'s weight spiraled out of control following a 2013 car accident that cost him the lower part of his leg.

The combined effect of the dual disabilities made regular life nearly impossible for the South Carolina native, and he completely relied on his mother to help him with day-to-day living.

L.B., who appeared to the sixth season and became a fan favorite, initially clocked in at 643lb. 

The number led him to realize he'd soon become 'immobile' given that there wouldn't be a prosthetic strong enough to support his burgeoning mass.

A year later, after nearly halving his weight, L.B. was able to jog around a running track. 

Hidden: L.B. seemed to be doing well before taking his own life at age 30

He gushed in a confessional: 'I'm exhausted, but that was awesome. I never thought I'd be able to do that again. 

'I'm amazed at how much my life has changed for the better.'

However, in the months after February 2018, when his episode aired, L.B. seemed to have mentally spiraled downward.

He died by suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot on August 2, 2018, at age 30.

In the aftermath, his family filed a lawsuit against the show's production company, alleging, among other things, that producers failed to follow through on covering L.B.'s medical expenses as well as causing him mental distress in the time span leading up to his death. 

Lisa Fleming

Harrowing: Lisa Fleming dropped out of Dr. Now's program and passed away shortly after filming ended

A resident of Mobile, Alabama, Lisa saw her weight spiral up to just under 705 pounds through years of dealing with an emotional neglectful mother and teen pregnancy as well as the loss of her father, her brother and her mother.

In the aftermath of her mom's death, she began 'eating around the clock.'

She said in a confessional: 'One day, I tried to get up and go to the bathroom. I couldn't make it. And I physically couldn't get myself up anymore. And that's the moment I realized I was stuck in this bed.'

Appearing on Season 6, she ultimately dropped out of Dr. Now's program 

Lisa passed away not long after filming wrapped on August 23, 2018 at age 50. 

'At the end she was sick and her body was tired and her body just gave out,' her daughter, Danielle, wrote in a Facebook post announcing her mom's passing.

'I'm happy you're no longer in pain and stuck in that bed,' she added.

Robert Buchel

Bedridden: Robert relied completely on his fiancée and his mother for help with day-to-day living

Robert, as seen on Season 6, was the first person featured on the series to pass away over the course of the filming process.

Before his death, the New Jersey native had hit 842lb, and was completely reliant on his fiancée Kathryn and his mother to get him through each day.

Compounding his weight was an addiction to painkillers. 

He'd spent his 40th birthday in the hospital after not being able to get back up from a fall.

After a harrowing road trip to Houston, Robert and his fiancée made it to Dr. Now who expressed shock to see that he was still alive.

He went on to shed 217lb to qualify for surgery to remove lymphedema masses, with the procedure being a success. 

But, after being denied pain medication, Robert's easygoing mood evaporated, and he began lashing out at Kathryn.

Dr. Now speculated that Robert, who'd started refusing physical activity, was 'getting to the point where his body [was] not going to be able to go on much longer.' 

'And his time to do this before his body gives out is getting shorter and shorter,' he added.

Though he continued pushing himself toward recovery, Robert passed away from a heart attack on November 15, 2017, at age 41.

Henry Foots

Abrupt: Henry Foots seemed to have his life on track before tragedy struck

When viewers met Henry Foots of Season 1, the Houston resident was 47 years old and weighed 715lb.

After joining Dr. Now's program in 2004 and eventually getting gastric bypass surgery, he lost more than half his body weight. 

By the end of the episode, in 2011, he'd achieved a svelte 275lb.

But Henry's story soon after took a tragic turn. 

While back on the job as a shuttle bus driver, he suffered an unknown medical incident, causing the bus to swerve and strike a pedestrian who died. 

Henry died of an unknown cause roughly a year later at age 54 on May 16, 2013 - among the two of four Season 1 participants to later pass away. 

His cause of his death remains unknown.