Simonne Kerr, Britain"s Got Talent Finalist, Stabbed to Death in London

We have another heinous and tragic death to report from the world of reality television.

Just days after former E! star Lyric McHenry was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in New York City, police in Great Britain have confirmed the following piece of heartbreaking news…

Simonne Kerr, a finalist just this past season on Britain’s Got Talent, was stabbed to death in London on Wednesday afternoon.

She was 31 years old.

According to local authorities, law enforcement officials were called to a residential address at Grayshott Road in Battersea just around 12:30 p.m. on August 15. 

Upon their arrival, these cops discovered that Kerr had suffered a grave knife wound; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The following day, a 40-year-old named Desmond Slyva was charged with her murder. His motives remain unclear at this time.

He appeared at Wimbledon magistrates court on Friday and did not enter a plea, according to The Guardian.

Police are not investigating any additional suspects, this same newspaper reports.

Kerr performed on Britain’s Got Talent back April as a member of NHS choir group B Positive, which was comprised of singers between the ages of 22 and 62.

Each of them has either been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia or have loved ones with sickle cell anemia.

It was a pretty cool story and it made significant headlines overeas at the time.

Kerr, who worked as a hematology and oncology nurse, joined the group in 2015 after her six-year-old son, Kavele, passed away from the disease.

This is a photo of Kerr and Kavele, both of whom are sadly no longer with us:

The inspiring group advaned all the way to the show’s finale in June,but were ultimately bested by the eventual winner, Lost Voice Guy.

Following the news of Kerr’s awful death, the choir posted a message to Twitter that reads:

Our thoughts are with Simonne’s family at this tragic time. She was a valued member of the B Positive choir who was passionate about blood donation following the loss of her son.

We are devastated at the loss of a well-loved choir member and friend.

In regard to her son, her singing and her motivation in life, Kerr once said the following to the NHS blog:

“I got to spend six wonderful years watching Kavele grow and though there were a handful of hospitalizations in his short life, I was positive that he would live a full life into adulthood.

“I lost him in 2015 …

“Singing can be such an uplifting experience so joining the B Positive choir seemed the obvious way to raise awareness of the urgent need for more young and black people to give blood while doing something positive and motivational.”

John James, the chief executive of Britain’s Sickle Cell Society also Tweeted in response to this tragedy, writing:

“So so shocked to hear that our friend, Sickle Cell Society volunteer and B-Positive Choir member Simonne Kerr has been tragically killed. In shock.

“My thoughts are with her mother, siblings and other family members.”

May Simonne Kerr rest in peace.

View Slideshow: The Most Shocking Reality Star Deaths: Gone, But Not Forgotten

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Lyric McHenry May Not Have Been Pregnant at Time of Death

Questions about the stunning death of former E! reality star Lyric McHenry continue to circulate.

Very early on the morning of August 14, the close friend of EJ Johnson and the woman who appeared on multiple episodes of EJNYC was found dead on a sidewalk in New York City.

She was wearing only a pajama top and underwear and, most disturbing of all, a ziplock bag with cocaine inside was also discovered on her person.

Also, according to initial reports, McHenry was 20 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

Just awful, right?

However, it was assumed upon reading these reports, at least by us at The Hollywood Gossip, that medical tests had been run that proven McHenry was expecting a child.

Now, though, it seems as if this may not have been the case.

A family spokesperson named Edna Sims Porter tells Us Weekly that McHenry’s loved ones were unaware of any pregnancy, stating for the record:

“Lyric did not share that with the family, so we’ll all have to wait for the autopsy report.”

This quote comes on the heels of a close friend saying something similar, expressing shock that McHenry was allegedly pregnant.

Porter, meanwhile, goes on to imply (or outright say, really) that no exam was performed that proved Lyric was going to be a mother.

“I’ve seen the police report and I talked to the police about that and they said to me, ‘That was from someone that we interviewed,"” Porter explains of how this strong rumor got started.

She concludes;

“That’s one of the things we’re going to find out the details about.

“We’re all baffled because you don’t even see a baby bump. Twenty weeks, that’s five months, right? It seems like she would be showing.”

McHenry was a Stanford graduate who volunteered years ago for Barack Obama.

She also worked as a television producer.

Due to the state of her body when she was found by the police, along with the bag of cocaine of course, it has been presumed that she died of a drug overdose.

Still, we are awaiting the results of an autopsy and those close to Lyric remain puzzled by how she went from happily celebrating her birthday with friends on Monday evening…

… to ending up as she did just a few hours later in the Bronx.

Per The New York Daily News, the reality star was “found sprawled out on the sidewalk above the Major Deegan Expressway at Undercliff Ave. and Boscobel Place in Highbridge at about 5 a.m.”

McHenry made multiple cameos on EJNYC, a spinoff of Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, back in 2016.

Shortly after the terrible news of her passing went viral, her family released a statement that reads as follows:

In contrast, what is factual and known is that Lyric who just turned 26 last week on August 6, was a brilliant, creative and lovely young woman who shared a deep passion for writing, film and a long-standing commitment to social justice.

She was a Christian who grew up in Los Angeles and attended the Center for Early Education and graduated from the Marlborough School in Los Angeles.

Lyric graduated from Stanford University in 2014 where she studied in Paris, France for a year and spoke fluent French…

McHenry poses here with Michelle Obama. The late 26-year old was known for her political activism.

Lyric’s warmth, compassion and energy will be missed by many and the family would appreciate that all speculation surrounding the circumstances of death cease until the real facts are determined during the current investigation by the NYPD and the City of New York…

The Funeral Service will be held in her hometown Los Angeles at a date to be determined.

McHenry is survived by her father, producer and Director Doug McHenry, her mother Jennifer, a stylist, and her sister, Maya McHenry, who also appeared on episodes of EJNYC.

May she rest in peace.

View Slideshow: The Most Shocking Reality Star Deaths: Gone, But Not Forgotten

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Jason Hoppy: Dennis Shields" Death PROVES Bethenny Frankel Is a Bad Mom!

If you thought that you hated Jason Hoppy before, when he was stalking and harassing Bethenny Frankel, you’re about to be even less of a fan of his.

Dennis Shields was found dead last week, and while Bethenny was mourning the loss of her ex-boyfriend, Hoppy and his attorney readied their move.

Hoppy is already trying to use Shields’ death to hurt Bethenny in court.

Us Weekly had an insider in court on Thursday, August 16, when Hoppy’s attorney brought up Dennis Shields in a disgusting attempt to cast doubt on Bethenny’s qualifications as a mother to the couple’s 8-year-old, Bryn.

“It was reported that he died of an Oxycodone overdose,” Hoppy’s attorney reportedly said in the courtroom.

You can immediately see where this is going. Ugh.

Hoppy’s attorney continued: “Our concern is while his death is very sad, this raises serious concerns about Ms. Frankel’s parental judgment.”

For the record, Dennis Shields’ final words revealed that he had mixed ordinary medications that may have had a deadly interaction, but that’s the least of the problems with this argument.

“Dennis Shields spent a great deal of time with Bryn,” Hoppy’s attorney asserted. “And even cared for Bryn at times when Ms. Frankel wasn’t around.”

Well, Shields was part of Bethenny’s life for a couple of decades and he also dated her. That’s normal.

“Considering Mr. Shields’ addiction,” Hoppy’s team argued. “What does that say about Ms. Frankel’s parenting that she would allow this person to care for her daughter?”

That is heavily loaded with assumptions about Shields’ health and unfounded prejudices against people who use prescription painkillers.

“This doesn’t just constitute a lapse in judgment,” Hoppy’s attorney claimed. “This was just downright dangerous parenting.”

This didn’t come up in court out of nowhere. Apparently, Hoppy’s team waited until things were going well for Bethenny before bringing up such a loaded attack.

“Bethenny, in Bryn’s best interest, asked for a new trial,” the courtroom insider reports.

“The minute the judge agreed to that today,” the source continues. “Jason’s side brought up the Dennis stuff.”

One wonders how long they waited after news broke of Shields’ tragic passing before preparing to use this as a weapon in court.

That said … we have to remember that attorney’s are sworn to zealously represent their clients.

The courtroom insider said that the judge noticed that this was quite an escalation.

The source shares: “The judge said now you’re throwing ‘grenades.’”

“Jason and his team were OK with Bethenny as a mom when they walked into the courtroom,” the insider reports.

That chagned when things stopped going their way, it seems.

“But then once Bethenny got what she wanted,” the insider describes. “They didn’t think the was a good mom.”

Hoppy’s team also tried to dredge up Bethenny’s The Real Housewives of New York City behavior, as if it reflected her skills as a parent.

“There was a recent episode in which she appeared to be intoxicated,” Hoppy’s team reportedly argued. “She was running around without clothes on and then she passed out and it was said she passed out from mixing Ambien with alcohol.”

Arguing that someone’s child-free behavior on a reality series disqualifies them from being a parent is usually a stretch, akin to confusing an actor with a movie role they played.

“Our concerns are whether Ms. Frankel may have some type of substance-abuse problems,” Hopps’ attorney had the nerve to say. “So we would ask the court to order drug testing of Ms. Frankel to find out whether that’s an issue.”

Outrageous.

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Dennis Shields: Final Words Shed Light on His Tragic Death

Just a week ago, Dennis Shields was found dead in his Trump Tower apartment.

Though the ex-boyfriend of Betheny Frankel’s cause of death has yet to be officially declared in an autopsy report, we now know his final words.

And his final statement may shed a lot of light on what preceded his unfortunate passing.

TMZ reports that Dennis Shields was able to speak a few words to EMTs who arrived and attempted to save his life.

Sources say that, in those final moments, he told paramedics and police that he had taken his prescribed oxycodone and Vicodin and a sleeping pill.

His intention, he revealed at the time, was to address the pain from his back injury.

Though his assistant had already administered Narcan before emergency responders arrived, everyone’s best efforts were unable to save him.

That combo of drugs turned out to be tragically lethal.

As TMZ notes, that combination of drugs can be dangerous and even potentially deadly.

Doctors and other medical experts strongly advise against mixing opioids with sleeping pills or any type of sedative.

Taking these medications in what are individually safe amounts can become unsafe, due to interactions between the powerful medications.

Had this been a simple overdose of oxycodone, perhaps the three doses of Narcan — two from his assistant and one from EMTs — that Shields received would have been able to save him.

This is so heartbreaking.

TMZ‘s law enforcement sources report that they did find prescription pill bottles scattered throughout his house.

They did not find any ilicit substances or drug paraphernalia which might be associated with them.

If you are overdosing or experiencing another medical crisis, it is always adviseable to be honest with the people who are trying to save your life.

The “pill bottles scattered everywhere” image might seem suspicious for some, but it’s not uncommon for folks to accidentally hold on to their empty prescription bottles.

(They may cling to them as a reference, or forget that they have them, or decide that they want to remove the label for privacy before recycling them)

Earlier this week, The Real Housewives of New York City star and Skinnygirl mogul Bethenny Frankel broke her silence on Shields’ death.

Though they were not dating at the time of his passing, they have had an on-again, off-again relationship for ages.

Bethenny is mourning his passing. At his funeral, she broke down in tears.

On Instagram, she shared a throwback photo of him and her late dog, Cookie, back-to-back.

Both Shields and Cookie have since passed.

“Rest In Peace,” Bethenny captioned the image. “My sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love.”

It is important to stress that the medical examiner’s office has yet to announce an official cause of death for Dennis Shields.

It is always possible that the dangerous combination of drugs that he took in a desperate attempt to quell his back pain were not the cause, or not the sole cause.

The medical examiner is likely waiting for the results of a toxicology report. Those can take time, especially when investigators are checking for every possibility.

We hope that Shields’ loved ones, including his four children, can find peace and closure after this tragic loss.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2018: In Memoriam

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Bethenny Frankel"s Boyfriend"s Last Words Help Explain Trump Tower Death

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Bethenny Frankel Breaks Silence on Death of Dennis Shields

Bethenny Frankel has spoken out for the first time since her long-term ex-boyfriend was found dead of an apparent drug overdose.

As reported last Friday, Dennis Shields passed away as the result of what appears to have been over-consumption of the prescription pill Oxycodone, although we’re still waiting for an official report from the coroner’s office.

He was 51 years old.

Just two days before this tragedy took place, Frankel had talked openly on an episode of The Real Housewives of New York City about how she was planning to take a three-month break from her romance with Shields.

However, this installment was filmed many months ago.

A far more recent report alleged that Shields was planning to propose to Bethenny during their final dinner date, only to get the strong impression in the middle of this meal that she was uninterested in marriage.

The general point here, however, is that Frankel and Shields were a very serious item for a long time.

They started dating in 2016 and continually found their way back to each other in the years since.

In the wake of Shields’ passing, Frankel has now shared the following image on Instagram.

The snapshot features Shields in bed with Frankel’s beloved dog Cookie, who passed away in October at the age of 17.

“Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love,” wrote Bethenny as a caption, adding the hashtah “#nowandforever.”

We’re not about to judge anyone for how he or she responds to death.

Everyone mourns in his or her own way.

However, some social media users out there were taken aback by Frankel’s initial statement here for three reasons:

ONE, the passing of a pet is very sad. But is it a little bit odd to compare this event to the passing of a human loved one?

TWO, could it also be considered inappropriate to share a photo of Shields in a semi-passed out state, considering he died of an overdose?

THREE, Bethenny’s caption says nothing about Shields with the exception of how he treated her, which comes across as a bit self-serving.

Conversely, some are saying, Dennis’ estranged wife, to whom he was still legally married when he died, posted the above picture of herself and Shields.

Among other tributes, she wrote the following:

To the love of my life- Dennis-I will miss you every day. Forever your legacy will live on in our children and our future grandchildren.

Your intelligence, humor and of course your good looks will forever be engrained in our family!

even though we did not live together, you still remained my best friend and my husband. You’re the best — always and forever!

Jill, Bethenny and many others attended a funeral for Shields in Long Island on Monday.

According to the New York Post, Shields knew something was very wrong last Friday morning and asked his assistant to give him Narcan, an emergency medication intended to reverse the effects of a narcotic overdose.

However, he lost consciousness before the medication could take effect and was pronounced dead a short time later.

May he rest in peace.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

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Aretha Franklin: Gravely Ill from Cancer, On Death Bed

The music world may soon lose a legend.

According to multiple reports, Aretha Franklin is nearing the end of her brave battle with cancer and may pass away any day now.

The way some websites have written about it, she may even pass away any moment now.

About 18 months after Franklin announced her retirement from the recording industry, telling a Detroit TV station that she felt “exuberant” about this decision, sources tell TMZ that the singer’s health is failing.

An insider – who describes him/herself as a longtime and dear friend of the artist’s – has told TMZ that he/she was given a warning several days ago:

Prepare yourself, this personwas told, she’s dying.

The source adds Franklin was down to 86 pounds at the time this very unfortunate news was share — and that everyone in Aretha’s circle was told, about two weeks ago, that “she could go any time.”

Franklin is 76 years old.

It’s unknown at this time just which type of cancer she has reportedly been diagnosed with. 

Over the last few years, Franklin has performanced on a limited basis, most recently taking to the stage last November at an Elton John AIDS Foundation event.

She is pictured in both snapshots above at this event.

The tragic news that the singer’s health is failing came from Roger Friedman over at Showbiz411; while WDIV TV in Detroit says Aretha’s family has confirmed she is gravely ill.

This, unfortunately, seems to be a confirmed report.

Franklin is known as The Queen of Soul.

One could make a convincing argument that she’s the most successful and/or influential female vocalist of all-time.

Yes, there’s Mariah Carey. Yes, there is now Beyonce.

But go ahead and ask either of those women who they admired as an aspiring singer, and then consider the following list of Franklin’s accomplishments:

– She was responsible for more than 20 number-one singles in the United States.

– She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

– She won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance for eight consecutive years from 1968 to 1975.

– She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2005.

“I feel very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now,” Franklinonce said, in what sounds like a monumental understatement.

Roland Martin, a reporter who frequently covers Franklin, took to Twitter to share more about her condition on Monday morning.

“Many of you are asking me to confirm the health status of @ArethaFranklin,” he said, adding:

“Folks, I’ve known for several months. The Queen is surrounded by loved ones. That’s all I will say for now. Please keep her, the family and her longtime support staff in your prayers.”

Upon reading about Franklin’s potential, near-future fate, many top artists jumped on Twitter today and expressed their surprise and sorrow.

“My prayers are with Aretha Franklin & her family during this difficult time,” Tweeted Missy Elliott. “MUST CELEBRATE the Living Legends while they are here to see it. So many have given us decades of Timeless music.”

And Paula Abdul wrote:

“My love, prayers and warm thoughts are with Aretha Franklin—the Queen of Soul. I’m praying for her and her health. Thank you to all her family and friends who are standing by her and loving her through her illness.

“I’m holding you all in my heart.”

And then Carey summed up everyone’s take at the moment with the short and simple:

Praying for the Queen of Soul.

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Bethenny Frankel Is Heartbroken Over Dennis Shields" Tragic Death

Last week, Bethenny Frankel’s ex-boyfriend Dennis Shields was found dead of an apparent overdose.

The Skinnygirl founder and The Real Housewives of New York City star has not made an official statement yet.

But an insider describes how she’s responding to the sudden passing of her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

A source tells E! that Bethenny Frankel is not taking this well.

“This is really bad,” the insider admits. No death is good, but this one was especially sudden and therefore so much more shocking.

Bethenny’s is taking it hard, the source reveals, saying: “It’s dreadful.”

“She’s known him for over 20 years,” the insider reminds the world. That’s a lot of time and affection.

The source explains: “She’s heartbroken.”

As we told you last week when this crushing news broke, 51-year-old Shields was found dead by police in his Trump Tower apartment on Friday.

Law enforcement tried to revive him, but paramedics declared him dead.

The cause of his death, officially, remains under investigation.

However, it has been reported that Shields suffered from an apparent overdose.

In fact, it is said that his assistant administered Narcan but was unable to revive him.

Jill Schwartzberg Shields, Dennis Shields’ estranged wife, has made an official statement about his passing.

“Dennis’ family is devastated by this terrible news,” Jill says.

“He was a loving father,” Jill’s statement continues. “And friend.”

Jill makes a request: “We ask that the media respect our privacy during this time of loss.”

Of course. Estranged or not, this is a very trying time for everyone in his life.

Though Bethenny Frankel has yet to make an official public statement, some of her costars and erstwhile friends have come forward.

Taking to Twitter, Carole Radziwille mourned Dennis Shields‘ passing.

“I just heard the sad news about Dennis,” Carole wrote on social media.

It’s crushing news, even for those who were never a direct part of his life.

“He was a good man,” Carole affirms.

“My condolences to all his family and friends,” Carole continues. “So tragic.”

Though Carole and Bethenny are no longer friends, they were once close, so it only makes sense that Carole knew Shields well enough to grieve over his death.

Bethenny Frankel will probably make an official public statement in time, but it is more than understandable that she is taking time to grieve in private.

Just because someone is a public personality does not mean that they owe their fans to expose every piece of their raw feelings at any given moment.

When she is ready, she will put together the words and mourn his loss.

For now, she is experiencing a lot of unpleasant raw emotions and she has every right to sort through that in peace.

We wish his friends, family, and other loved ones the best as they deal with this senseless tragedy.

It is our hope that they can find peace and, eventually, closure. Sometimes, that’s the best thing that you can possibly wish for people who are mourning the loss of someone they care about.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2018: In Memoriam

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Mechanic Steals Airplane, Crashes to Death In Puget Sound

A bizarre and tragic story unfolded on Friday night in and around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

According to various outlets, as well as footage captured by stunned pedestrians, an airport mechanic hijacked a plane around 8 p.m., flew it around for about an hour…

… and then crashed into the Puget Sound in Washington, killing himself in the process.

The man, who was referred to as Rich by air traffic control personnel in various exchanges that have been made public, worked for Alaska Air Horizon and allegedly stole a Horizon Air Q400, shutting down the airport for a brief period of time.

In a statement released on Twitter last night, Sea-Tac Airport officials confirmed the reports of an “unauthorized takeoff,” saying in full:

“An airline employee conducted an unauthorized takeoff without permission at Sea-Tac; aircraft has crashed in south Puget Sound. Normal operations at Sea-Tac Airport have resumed.”

The incident is not considered to have been a terrorist act of any kind.

Instead, based on the aforementioned traffic control exchanges, it appears to have been a suicidal act by a troubled individual.

“Male is confirmed a suicidal male. Acted alone he is 29-year-old Pierce county residence [sic],” the Pierce County Sheriff Department Tweeted late Friday.

The drama actually played out live over air traffic control monitoring sites.

In audio recordings of the incident posted on Broadcastify, Rich can be heard talking to air traffic controllers as they try to guide him to land the plane.

“I’ve got a lot of people that care about me, and it’s going to disappoint them to hear that I did this,” the man says.

“I would like to apologize to each and every one of them. Just a broken guy, got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now.”

It’s terrifying and upsetting to listen to.

Earlier in the flight, the man says: “This is probably like jail time for life, huh? I mean, I would hope it is, for a guy like me.”

“Well,” a controller replies, “we’re not going to worry or think about that. But could you start a left-hand turn, please?”

Throughout the back-and-forths, controllers are calmly trying to steer the man away from any place where he could cause damage by landing or crashing the plane.

They are trying to save his life and also the lives of everyone underneath his flight path.

“Let’s get you on the ground so you don’t hurt anyone,” someone identified as Captain Bill tells Rich.

As Rich flew over the water, a pair of F-15 fighter jets were dispatched to intercept the plane; neither were involved in the eventual crash landing.

The plane was seen by a number of witnesses doing stunts before crashing, as witnesses shared videos of the low-flying aircraft on social media.

“Some dude stole a plane from #Seatac (Allegedly),” Tweeted one witness, adding:

“did a loop-the-loop, ALMOST crashed into #ChambersBay, then crossed in front of our party, chased by fighter jets and subsequently crashed. Weird times.”

Weird times, but mostly sad and tragic times in this case.

The plane was taken from a maintenance position and was not scheduled for a passenger flight, said Gary Beck, Horizon Air’s president and chief executive officer.

An investigation is underway to determine more, but it is not believed that anyone outside of the pilot/mechanic was harmed.

“Our hearts are with the families of the individual aboard as well as all of our Alaska Air and Horizon Air employees,” said Constance von Muehlen, the airline’s chief operating officer.

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L.B. Bonner Autopsy Confirms Cause of Reality Star"s Death

We have an official follow-up on the tragic death of L.B. Bonner.

As previously detailed to the best of our ability, the former 600-lb Life star was found dead last week in park in Lexington, South Carolina.

Initial reports, however, made it unclear just how Bonner passed away, although all signs pointed to suicide and certain outlets said Bonner’s was discovered in a ditch.

Thanks to the official coroner’s report, we can now confirm this very sad piece of news:

L.B. Bonner died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

It does still remain unclear, however, just what prompted someone inside Bonner’s home to call 911 because he or she was concerned about the former TLC star’s well-being.

This is what led to an officer arriving on the scene and eventually finding Bonner’s corpse.

Such a detail is unimportant at this point; there are just so many questions to ponder any time someone commits suicide.

Prior to his death, Bonner shared a Facebook message in which he thanked everyone for their support and said he needed to “face his demons.”

“I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shown me love and support throughout my journey,” he wrote in this post, adding:

“I’ve realized a few things over the last few days and its time that I face my demons head on.”

He added, in what effectively served as a suicide note:

No matter what you change or the efforts you put forth in life, sometimes you just have to take it on the chin and deal with things your own way.

Again, thank y’all so much. Please don’t ever let people you care about not know how you feel…

This post served as quite a troubling change from Bonner’s usual presence on Facebook.

As evidenced by a message he penned mere days before he killed himself, Bonner often started each morning with an inspiring set of words.

In 2013, Bonner lost his leg in a car crash and later turned to food and alcohol to cope with the loss.

He weighed 650 pounds at the time he started filming My 600-lb Life.

Over the course of his stint on the series, though, the 30-year-old got sober and underwent a lap-band surgery, which led to him losing over 400 pounds.

He was considered by viewers and producers to be one of the program’s most impressive success stories.

But it was clear, to anyone that paid close attention, that Bonner often struggled with his mental health.

In June, he shared a photo of the late Robin Williams (who committed suicide) on Instagram with the saying: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be Kind. ALWAYS.”

Wrote Bonner as his caption:

“This is so true, step out your comfort zone to be kind.”

In the wake of his passing, TLC released a statement that read:

James “LB” Bonner, who appeared on this past season of My 600-lb Life, has sadly passed away.

On the show, viewers saw LB struggle with obesity following a tragic accident that claimed his right leg. Even though he once weighed 650 pounds, LB’s hard work and dedication helped get him in the 200-pound range.

His spirit and determination as displayed through his story, quickly made LB a fan-favorite, and family & friends have taken to LB’s Facebook page to commemorate his life.

TLC was deeply saddened to hear of LB’s passing and is honored to have shared his honest and courageous story on My 600-lb Life.

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