Reality TV Stars You Didn't Know Died

The life of a reality television star is one few can even imagine, aside even from the fickle judgment of the public. There are some strange rules reality TV stars have to follow, and then there's the often rags-to-riches-to-rags-again nature of their celebrity. Starmaking reality series are a strange and uniquely modern phenomenon, one that tends to thrust ordinary people into a blazing hot spotlight for just a short time before returning them to obscurity, and sometimes to the point where a personality who was not so long ago a household name might die in relative anonymity.

Sadly, that very circumstance arises more often than one might think. Here, we'll be taking a look at reality TV stars whose time in the limelight had passed when fate decided that their time on Earth was up. They were regular Joes and Janes who found their way to fame, whom we once invited into our homes on a regular basis, and the chances are that you probably didn't even know they died.

Vincent Margera, the man formerly known as "Don Vito" on the smash MTV series "Jackass" and various spin-offs, left behind a legacy just as troubled as that of his nephew, Brandon "Bam" Margera, whose own life story is filled with tragedy. Both were fan favorites known for partaking in (and sometimes being the victims of) ridiculous pranks, and both had a thick dark streak underlying their surface goofiness; in the case of Bam, multiple issues saw him finally being ejected from the "Jackass" lineup in 2021.

As for Vincent, he disappeared from the franchise years earlier in 2007, after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two underage girls during a public appearance the year before. As a condition of his probation, he was forbidden from using his mushmouth "Don Vito" persona for a decade, and, as it turned out, that was enough to constitute a lifetime ban. In 2015, it was reported that Margera — who had been dealing with liver and kidney-related health issues for quite some time — had fallen into a coma, and he never recovered. He died in November of that year at the age of 59.

Debuting on A&E in 2012, "Shipping Wars" detailed the lives of and competition between people in an undeniably interesting trade: heavy-duty shippers, those who take on the task of transporting extraordinarily huge, unwieldy, or otherwise "unshippable" items. Like most unusual professions, the world of heavy-duty shipping attracts some unique personalities, and among fans of "Shipping Wars" one of the most beloved was Roy Garber. The New Hampshire native was good at his job, quick with a quip, and almost always in the company of his cat Muffy; Garber endeared himself to viewers with his pragmatic approach to navigating weird situations, but shortly after completing the show's fifth season, he found a situation he couldn't handle.

Apparently, Garber had been managing a heart condition, and it was reported in January 2014 that he had died after suffering a heart attack at 49 years old. A loving tribute to him was posted on the series' Facebook page, and to answer the question on every fan's mind at the time, reports less than a week after his death indicated that Muffy was on her way back to New Hampshire to live with Garber's mother.

The very premise of ABC's "The Bachelor" and its spin-off "The Bachelorette" dictates that the twin series must be veritable broken-heart factories. After all, out of all the hopeful romantics to court the show's titular singles each season, only one can emerge victorious, and even the victor doesn't necessarily get their happy ending once the cameras stop rolling. Sadly, in the case of Gia Allemand, she was neither the victor nor, even years after being a contestant on Season 14 of "The Bachelor," was there a happy ending.

After finishing third in the competition in 2010, Allemand went on to date NBA player Ryan Anderson, with whom she had an argument one day in August 2013. Anderson broke it off with Allemand before dropping her off at home; she left a brief note before attempting to die by suicide. Alerted to a possible problem by Allemand's mother, Anderson returned to find her; while she initially survived, she was taken off life support days later. Anderson would later tell Sports Illustrated that the tragedy had prompted him to realize that perhaps he could do more than play basketball. "I've been given a platform in the NBA," he said. "People need to put a face to [the issue of death by suicide], and I'm okay being that face."

The OWN reality series "Love and Marriage: Huntsville" has a more interesting premise than its title might suggest: it follows the lives of three Black married couples who form a real estate company aimed at revitalizing the titular Alabama city. While negotiating the ups and downs of that notoriously cut-throat business, they must also navigate the sometimes rough waters of marriage. Among the series' cast, Keke Jabbar seemed perhaps the most cut out for television, with a sometimes bombastic personality that catered to reality fans' thirst for the dramatic. Joining the cast in 2023, she quickly became a fan favorite, but her stint on the show was unfortunately short-lived due to a freak accident.

In July 2024, Jabbar's cousin and fellow cast member, LaTisha Scott, announced on social media that she had died, and shortly thereafter, the unfortunate details emerged. Jabbar's friend, YouTuber JoAnn Jenkins, shared on a live stream that Jabbar — who apparently had a penchant for taking catnaps in odd places — had fallen asleep in her car with her engine running and had died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Jenkins emphasized that her friend's death had been accidental and not by suicide. Jabbar was 42 years old and left behind her husband Ameen and three children.

The emergence of reality television is pretty much the reason MTV stopped playing music videos, and its pioneering series "The Real World" helped to kick off the craze. It began with a simple premise: take a bunch of young people who are complete strangers, throw them together in a house for a couple months, let the cameras roll, and see what happens. What usually happened was, of course, a lot of drama, conflict, and craziness. The series' fifth season, "Real World: Miami," gave its contestants an actual objective to start a successful business with only $50,000 in seed money. One of that season's standouts, then-25-year-old Sarah Becker, endeared herself to fans with her quirkiness. 

The comic industry professional and animal lover had personality to spare, but contestants weren't picked for their business acumen, and the cast's would-be venture failed. In 2023, Becker — her brush with fame in the rearview mirror — moved from California to Illinois to deal with some family troubles, and during that time, declining mental health compounded by a severe skateboarding accident took its toll on her. 

In June 2024, it was reported that Becker had died by suicide; she was 52. Her friend, comic artist Daniel Norton, posted a loving tribute to Becker on Facebook. "Sarah Becker was made of pure sunshine ... Full of energy and positivity, you couldn't help but feel her warmth standing in her presence," he wrote. "I am grateful for our adventures and laughs."

Having been a mainstay of pop culture for nearly a quarter century, it's easy to forget just how "American Idol" electrified audiences in its inaugural season in 2002. Those auditioning in front of the genial Randy Jackson, the lovable Paula Abdul, and the terrifying Simon Cowell ran the gamut from wacky non-talents to genuine vocal powerhouses. Falling into the latter category alongside eventual winner Kelly Clarkson was Nikki McKibbin, whose punky look and petite frame were an unlikely package for a voice that was pure pop perfection. McKibbin competed valiantly but placed third behind Clarkson and Justin Guarini; she went on to appear on a handful of other reality series and dropped an album, "Unleashed," in 2007.

McKibbin might be one of the "American Idol" star deaths you may not know about, as it was very unexpected. In October 2020, her husband, Craig Sadler, took to Facebook to inform fans that his wife had suffered a brain aneurysm, and was at that time on life support so that her organs could be harvested to help others in need, in accordance with her wishes. Just 42 years old, McKibbin's death prompted an outpouring of grief from her fellow "Idol" alumni, including Guarini, who wrote on Instagram, "Thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight."

Debuting in 2018 as a spin-off from drag racing competition series "Street Outlaws," Discovery Channel's "Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings" followed race master Chuck Seitsinger and his team. Led by racing veteran Pat Musi and his daughter Lizzy, they put alumni from the flagship series through their paces on "no prep" tracks, which are rough, rugged, and untreated courses meant to give racers the ultimate challenge. Pretty, tough, and capable, Lizzy Musi became a breakout favorite on the series — but her time in the spotlight was tragically short.

In April 2023, Musi posted to Instagram that she had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes and liver; just a couple weeks later, she posted a photo of herself with her head shaved bald, along with a message: "Some days [it's] tough to look in the mirror but there are days where I feel stronger than ever." Despite treatment, Lizzy Musi died in 2024 at age 33. Taking to Facebook in June of that year, her father Pat informed fans of her death, writing: "Surrounded by her Family, in the comfort of her own home, Lizzy was called to heaven at 11:25pm tonight. Thank you for all the prayers and support throughout her battle."

For two seasons in 2014 and 2015, Bravo's "Blood, Sweat, and Heels" took viewers inside the lives of high-powered women in New York City's ridiculously exclusive worlds of fashion, real estate, and publishing. An absolute shark in that last category, Daisy Lewellyn was a media big shot, the type to dub herself "Queen of Effortless Chic." A former editor for publications like Essence, Glamour, and InStyle, Lewellyn was also a published author, and had no trouble segueing neatly into reality television with her larger-than-life personality.

In a 2015 interview with Madame Noire, Lewellyn confirmed that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 liver cancer. "It's a super rare type of cancer. Like, nobody gets it. Leave it to me to get the exclusive, rare cancer," she lamented. "I'm not afraid to go to heaven, but I would like to stay on earth if I can. If it's my time to go, then I can say that I had a great life." That time, unfortunately, came just a year later. In April 2016, Bravo confirmed via a statement that Lewellyn had lost her battle. "Daisy passed on in peace and filled with joy, surrounded by her family and friends," the statement read. "We are all saddened to lose this wonderful woman" (via USA Today).

For a single season in 2013, MTV's "Buckwild" let viewers peek in on a world that many never glimpse: small-town America. The series followed the lives of a group of young people in a pair of West Virginia towns, friends who often had to find novel ways to entertain themselves and who could often be found in the woods, "mudding" through the wilderness in four-wheel-drive vehicles or atop ATVs. Unfortunately, the show came to an end after one of its stars, 21-year-old Shain Gandee — along with his uncle, 48-year-old David Gandee, and friend, 27-year-old Donald Myers — died in a freak accident while engaged in that very pastime.

In 2013, the trio were out four-wheeling in Gandee's Ford Bronco when the vehicle got stuck in the mud. The patch was apparently deep enough to partially submerge the truck and block the tailpipe, causing carbon monoxide to leak into the cabin and kill all three occupants by asphyxiation. "Buckwild" had previously drawn the ire of then-state Senator Joe Manchin, who lambasted its depiction of the often dangerous lifestyles of its subjects. Production on the series was immediately shut down in the wake of the deaths, and MTV quietly canceled the show shortly thereafter.

Airing in 2014, the tenth season of "The Bachelorette" began with a very unusual segment: a tribute to a man and contestant that viewers had yet to meet, 31-year-old Eric Hill. A ruggedly handsome adventurer, Hill had been documenting a trip around the globe on his Instagram page, and had been paragliding in the mountains of Utah when tragedy struck. 

Hill's chute had failed to open properly, and the injuries were so severe that he lapsed into a coma from which he never awoke. The tragic incident had taken place after his elimination from the competition, but before the season aired, and so it left producers in an unprecedented and uncomfortable position.

Appearing on "The View" (via Time) in advance of the season premiere, host Chris Harrison admitted that he still did not know how the show was going to handle the death of Hill. In the end, they chose not to edit out his participation but instead to acknowledge the tragedy to viewers up front, a decision that Harrison later explained more fully on his blog. "[It was decided] to at least acknowledge it [at the beginning of the season], and then honestly, we're still figuring it out," he wrote (via Time). "We're still dealing with the day-to-day of how to best respectfully and honorably include him in the show, but at the same time, not sensationalize it and make it anything that it wasn't."

TLC's "90 Day Fiancé" focuses on long-distance couples separated by nationality, and gives them a chance to make their relationships work in a short-distance capacity. The non-U.S.-based participants are given 90-day visas to come to the States to live with their significant others, at the end of which the couples will either get married or head for Splitsville. Appearing on the show's second season in 2014, Jason Hitch was one of its success stories, at least for a short time; he married his fiancé, Brazilian Cássia Tavares, at the conclusion of the season. The relationship didn't last, however, and the pair were divorced in 2018.

In 2021, Hitch died due to an extremely unfortunate circumstance. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged around the globe, he made the decision not to take advantage of the newly available vaccines for the disease, one of the biggest scientific discoveries of 2021. In December, his sister Shannon Speagle took to Facebook to announce that her brother had died of complications from COVID-19 at the age of 45. "Despite my frustrations and differing viewpoints I loved him very much and only wanted the best for him," she wrote. "Politics aside, please consider the absolute grief that now exists within my family and do what's necessary to protect [yourself] and others."

Perhaps the nadir of MTV's slate of borderline-irresponsible reality programming, "16 and Pregnant" focused on teenagers who had gotten themselves into the most adult situation they possibly could have. Additional questionable decisions, screaming matches, and even domestic violence were all on display, and the series offered up some of the most disturbing things to ever happen on reality shows. As one might guess, several of the series' young "stars" continued to endure extremely tough lives after their stints on the show, and perhaps none more so than Valerie Fairman, who was actually only 15 when she appeared on the show's second season in 2010.

Fairman's tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend was a focus of her episode, and after her appearance on the show, it became clear that her volatile personality was no act. Fairman was arrested in 2011 for assaulting her adoptive mother, was in and out of jail over the ensuing two years for various crimes, and was picked up for sex work in 2015. Fairman also had issues with substance misuse and was ultimately unable to get clean, despite numerous attempts at rehab. In 2016, it was reported that Fairman had died from an overdose while at a friend's house; she was just 23 years old.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, is dealing with domestic abuse, has been a victim of sexual assault, or is struggling or in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org