The Untold Truth Of My 600-Lb Life Star James King

Fans were saddened to hear the news that My 600-lb Life star James King passed away on April 3, 2020. King was one of the show's most memorable stars, appearing on the show in its fifth season in 2017.

According to Hollywood Life, when King appeared on the show he weighed 791 pounds and, unable to move from his bed, was forced to rely on his children and his wife for help. It was his father who encouraged him to seek help from the show's Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, who specializes in bariatric surgery. King took out a second mortgage on his home to travel from his home in Kentucky to the hospital where Nowzaradan works in Houston. After not following Nowzaradan's instructions, though, King gained weight and was unable to go through with the weight loss procedure. 

King appeared on a spinoff of the show, Where Are They Now?, the following year. At this point, he weighed 840 pounds. While King worked to lose weight and get back into Nowzaradan's program, he kept gaining weight. According to The Sun, Nowzaradan called Adult Protective Services on King's wife, Lisa, suspecting that she had been sneaking food to him as he worked to lose weight in preparation for the weight loss surgery. Nowzaradan ended up dismissing King from the program.

While a cause of death wasn't given, it's known that King suffered from many health problems. It was revealed on the show that his health problems included sepsis, cirrhosis of the liver, and kidney failure. TLC paid tribute to King on Twitter after the news of his death broke, writing "TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of James King, who shared his weight-loss journey on My 600lb Life. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."

According to his obituary, published on the Millner and Orr Funeral Home website, the 49-year-old left behind his wife, six children, and 19 grandchildren.