Latonya Pottain, who appeared on My 600-lb Life, has died at age 40.

Pottain died May 17 in a hospital in Louisiana. The preliminary cause was determined to be congestive heart failure, according to TMZ, which was first to report the news. Earlier that day, her family noticed she was having trouble breathing, her brother told the outlet. She later called an ambulance to take her to the hospital, where she died. 

Latonya shared her story on ‘My 600-lb Life’ 

Latonya shared her story in My 600-lb Life Season 11. The TLC reality series follows obese patients who are hoping to be approved for weight-loss surgery by Houston physician Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now. 

“Food is like my best friend,” she explained during her 2023 appearance on the show. “When I eat, it takes the stress away. That’s what I do to help me cope with things.” 

When Latonya was 12, she began turning to food for comfort after the sudden death of her mother. She began living on her own at 15, and with no one to watch over her, she began to gain a lot of weight. The problems spiraled, and by the time of her My 600-lb Life appearance, she weighed more than 600 pounds. 

While Latonya knew her eating habits were not healthy, she struggled to change her behavior, despite stern warnings from Dr. Now. After a health scare landed her in the hospital, he said he was “concerned about her heart.” 

“Some of the tests are a little concerning, and I want to address that,” he said. “Some of the tests show that her heart may be struggling a great deal right now.”

Latonya was hospitalized for a few weeks and lost weight on a medically supervised diet. But Dr. Now emphasized that she was not out of the woods. 

“Her whole body is sitting very close to her breaking point,” he said. “If she doesn’t continue to lose a lot more weight, then her situation can get critical again very fast.” 

Other ‘My 600-lb Life’ tragedies 

Latonya is not the first My 600-lb Life alum to die after appearing on the show. 

Season 1 cast member Henry Foots died one year after his episode aired. Sean Millikin died in 2019 after sharing his story in season 4. Season 5 alum James King also died after his My 600-lb Life episodes aired, as did season 6’s Renee Biran, James L.B. Bonner, and Lisa Fleming, and season 8’s Gina Krasley. 

My 600-lb Life alums Vianey Rodriguez, Larry Myers Jr., Paul MacNeill, Angela Gutierrez, Destinee LaShanee, Laura Ann Perez, Ashley Randall, Coliesa McMillian, and Rob Buchel have also died.   

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