Reality TV Tragedy: Subject Of 'My 600-Lb. Life' Robert Buchel Died While Filming
Robert Buchel, star of the TLC reality series My 600-Lb Life, died after suffering a heart attack while filming an episode for the show.
Each episode of the TLC series, which debuted in 2012, documents the life of a people weighing more than 600 pounds and how they try to bring their obesity under control by undergoing a fitness regime and making changes in their lifestyle under the care of television surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan.
Buchel's Death
Although the 41-year-old died in November, his death was revealed by TLC following an episode that documented his lifelong struggle with obesity. The episode aired Wednesday, Feb. 28.
"TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert," the network said in a statement on Wednesday. "We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time."
Buchel is the first participant who lost his life during the filming of the show. Another subject of the reality series, a 51-year-old Houston resident named Henry Foots, died in 2013 of an illness not related to his weight. Foots weighed 750 pounds and featured on season 1 of the TLC series.
Buchel's Weight Loss Journey
Buchel weighed a whopping 842 pounds but had started showing signs of improvement by losing more than 200 pounds after moving in with his fiancée, Kathryn Lemanski, from New Jersey to Houston. Buchel and Lemanski were going to tie the knot this year.
The New Jersey native had also undergone a lymphedema removal surgery but developed an addiction to the painkillers after. Despite the Nowzaradan's efforts, Buchel's addiction proved to be too big of a hurdle for him to overcome, and he succumbed to a heart attack on Nov. 15.
Following his death, Lemanski took to Facebook to share a touching tribute to her late fiancé, saying that Buchel's passing was particularly painful because his future had started showing signs of promise. Check out her emotional post below:
GoFundMe Page For Buchel's Funeral
One of Lemanski's friends set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to help her cover the hospital bills and funeral costs after Buchel's passing. The page, titled Robert Buchel Memorial Fund, was also created with the intention to help Lemanski raise funds to move back to New Jersey. The page has already raised $4,000 of its $5,000 goal.
