James King, known for his appearance on TLC’s My 600-LB Life , has died at 49, per Deadline . His cause of death is unknown, and there are no details as to whether it was related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He passed away on Friday in Nashville.
King appeared on the TLC franchise two times showcasing his weight-loss efforts. In 2017, when he appeared on Season 5, King weighed almost 800 pounds, and the series chronicled his attempt to reduce his weight to 600 pounds in order to undergo gastric bypass surgery. In 2018, King appeared on the show’s spinoff My 600-Lb. Life: Where Are They Now? to share that his weight had risen to more than 840 pounds.
TLC posted a tribute to Twitter announcing King’s death.
“TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of James King, who shared his weight-loss journey on My 600-LB Life . Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.”
King Struggled On The TLC Show
According to Hollywood Life , to get to Dr. Nowzaradan, King took out a second mortgage on his home. Unfortunately, King was not able to lose weight, and he ended up not being a candidate for the potentially life-saving gastric bypass surgery. Throughout his life, he suffered from a variety of health issues, including sepsis, cirrhosis of the liver, and kidney failure.
King and his brother were raised by their father. Throughout his childhood, King only saw his mother three times, and he said she was drunk each time. However, later in his life, King and his mother reconnected. He noted during his appearance on the show that, following their reunion, it felt like part of what had been missing in his life wasn’t missing anymore. Sadly, King’s mother passed away, and his family home burned down on the day of her funeral.
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King Left Behind A Large Family
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Krystle Raisor Langston, who was King’s stepdaughter, wrote a tribute to him on Facebook Tuesday.
“My family is going to endure one of the toughest things we ever have together as a family today! This man was not just my step-father he was a dad. We had a bond with him like no other.”
Several people replied to Langston’s post with condolences for the family.
King is survived by his wife Lisa as well as his father and brother, who are both named Donald. He had four daughters — Carrie, Krystle, Courtney, and Bayley — and two sons, Daemian and Austin. The former reality show star also left behind 19 grandchildren.
The details of his funeral arrangements are private.