'1000-Lb. Sisters’ Star Tammy Slaton Sobs as She Attends Late Husband Caleb’s Memorial

The death of her husband, Caleb Willingham, at the age of forty last year, left Tammy Slaton grieving deeply. As per People, exclusive footage showed the 1000 Lb Sisters season finale in which Tammy was seen with her loved ones during her late husband's memory ceremony. "Tammy, how are you doing today baby?" inquired her brother Chris as they made their way to the funeral.

Tammy replied, "I’m having my ups and downs, I guess. It hurt when Grandma died, but this is a different kind of hurt….it sure is a pretty day though." Amy Slaton further said, "Tammy’s numb right now. She doesn’t know how to feel. She doesn’t know how to process grief like a normal human being. We were told to push our feelings down, not to embrace them. So, she’s just trying to manage the way she can." When the family gets to the memorial, Billy—a home care nurse who performed Slaton's wedding—joins them. Slaton begins to weep, but Billy reassures her, hugging her and saying, "Everything will be okay." Billy further added, "Nine months ago, Tammy asked me to officiate her wedding. It’s really hard to put into words how to go from one extreme of officiating a wedding and just watching Tammy in the happiest points of her life just to turn around and in less than a year I have to witness her in the most tragic time of her life."

Throughout her stay at the recovery center, Tammy was depressed. She said that while she was doing her hardest to maintain her fitness and health, things weren't going as quickly as she'd hoped. She met a patient who was a frequent visitor to his room at the institution and was also making improvements. She struck up a fast connection with Caleb, who, as she later found out, had been eager to get to know her upon his admission into the institution. When news broke that the 1000-lb Sisters star had tied the knot after her successful weight reduction operation, the couple seemed to be headed for a committed engagement. Only a few months after getting married, Caleb was still trying to lose weight in the Ohio rehabilitation center, while Tammy was back in Kentucky. Tammy disclosed that Caleb had died in July 2023.

Tammy withdrew from social media after Caleb's passing. Her family made an effort to spend as much time as possible with her and support her throughout the shooting of 1000-lb Sisters season 5. Tammy was taken into custody in August of 2023 on suspicion of possessing narcotics and paraphernalia. On Instagram, Tammy wrote a heartfelt tribute to her late husband. Along with a series of snaps, she jotted down, "Rip sweet angel you will forever be missed and loved so much thank you Caleb for showing me real love and happiness."