Another subject of the reality show “My 600-Lb. Life” has passed away.
Arleasher “Lisa” Fleming, who was featured on the TLC series earlier this year, died at 50 years old on Thursday, her daughter announced on Facebook.
“I am truly at a loss for words right now. God knows I wanted you to hold on until I got here but He knew what was best for me,” Danielle Fleming wrote. “I didn’t need to see you like that! This morning I sat and held your hand for 4 hours knowing nothing I could’ve done would bring you back to me.”
Lisa weighed 704 pounds when she sought treatment.
She said on the show that she had struggled with her weight since childhood, with her issues being exacerbated after her parents divorced and after her brother was murdered. Lisa also said her weight continued to climb after each of her four pregnancies.
She was in such bad shape when her episode filmed that seven paramedics were needed to remove her from bed to take her to the hospital. Once hospitalized, Lisa lost 87 pounds, but had trouble maintaining her diet upon leaving, gaining 29 pounds upon her release, Radar Online reported.
But Danielle told TMZ that Lisa lost 200 pounds on her own following her appearance on the show and was able to stand on her own before her death.
Danielle insisted that Lisa’s death was not the result of her weight, but of several illnesses, telling the site, “At the end she was sick and her body was tired and her body just gave out.”
A rep for TLC told Page Six in a statement Friday, “TLC is saddened to hear that Lisa Fleming, who appeared on ‘My 600-Lb. Life,’ passed away on August 23, 2018. In February, viewers followed Lisa’s story to overcome childhood struggles and family tragedy during her weight-loss journey with Dr. Now. TLC shares its deepest sympathies to Lisa’s family and friends.”
Lisa is the third subject of the show to die within the last year. In November, Robert Buchel died of a heart attack before his episode aired. Earlier this month, James “L.B.” Bonner, an amputee who underwent gastric bypass surgery on “My 600-Lb. Life,” was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 30 years old.