Originally appeared on E! Online.
The TLC family has lost a beloved member.
Latonya Pottain, who appeared on Season 11 of “My 600-Lb. Life” in February 2023, died at an inpatient medical rehabilitation facility in Louisiana on Saturday, the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed. She was 40.
“She experienced a medical event and was transported to Christus Highland Hospital by emergency medical services,” authorities told E! News in a statement on Monday, “where she was later pronounced deceased at 22:29 hours on May 17, 2025.”
While Pottain’s preliminary cause of death is listed as “chronic congestive heart failure,” investigations are still ongoing.
As for what happened in the hours before her death? Pottain’s brother told TMZ that while family members were visiting her Louisiana home that morning, they noticed she was having some trouble breathing and appeared to be “extremely uncomfortable.” Soon after, the family got a call from a nurse informing them that Pottain had gone into cardiac arrest.
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Pottain’s tragic death comes just three months after she created a GoFundMe to reach out for “help during the most challenging time of my life.”
“I’m currently getting close to my highest weight of 740 pounds and I worked extremely hard to get it down,” she wrote in February. “Now I currently weigh about 705 pounds and have been bedridden since June 2024 due to severe health issues.”
After her time on the show, during which she got her weight down to 505 pounds, Pottain admitted that she “experienced overwhelming backlash, which sent me into a deep depression. My mental health suffered, and I became fearful of undergoing weight loss surgery.”
The following year, she moved to Houston in search of a fresh start. However, she found herself in an abusive relationship while simultaneously grappling with the news that her father had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Unfortunately, my health continued to decline,” she continued, “and I developed severe sciatica nerve pain, which caused extreme stomach cramps. I was prescribed fentanyl, but my body rejected the medication, leading me to begin therapy.”
“Now, I am completely bedridden and unable to get to the hospital because EMTs say transporting me would be a fire hazard due to my weight,” she added. “This has been an incredibly difficult journey, and I truly want to fight for my health and my life.”
