‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Star Brandi Mallory Dead at 40

Extreme Weight Loss star Brandi Mallory has passed away at the age of 40. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that the former reality star died on Nov. 9 in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The cause of death was not released.

The makeup artist appeared in season 4 of ABC’s series in 2014. She shared how she became involved with the show in a YouTube interview with local Atlanta journalist Kirby Carroll in 2018. In the interview, she revealed that her decision to lose weight was influenced by the death of one of her sorority sisters at 29.

“I was literally waking up every day like… this may be my last day waking up, like, I don’t know what’s going to happen for me,” she said. “When it’s playing on your mind that I might need to do something about my weight, because I’m afraid I might die too, then you might need to pay attention to something like that.”

As she explained in the interview, she had seen a casting call for The Biggest Loser, and although she wasn’t chosen, the producers sent her details to Extreme Weight Loss. “Literally every footstep since then has been God. I prayed over that application before I sent it off; I prayed every step of the way,” she said at the time.

When Mallory appeared on the show, she revealed that at her heaviest, she weighed around 329 pounds. While participating in Extreme Weight Loss, she competed in the Half Ironman, a fitness challenge that she completed in less than eight hours in which she swam, biked, and ran for a combined 70.3 miles.

Her fitness journey continued through dance after she appeared on the series, and she often shared her interests in fitness and makeup with her followers on Instagram. On Nov. 3, her final post was published.

In memory of Mallory, her family and friends held a candlelight vigil on Nov. 12. A memorial service for her will be held in Lithonia, Georgia, on Nov. 19, 2023, per her obituary.

Taking to her Instagram account, Extreme Weight Loss season 5 contestant Kim Williams Maxile paid a heartfelt tribute to Mallory. “Rest in Love sis,” she captioned a video of her and Mallory. “To my fellow Extreme Weight Loss @extweightloss sis, @brandimallory you will be missed. I’ll never forget while I was at boot camp for season 5 we watched your season and it inspired us to keep going. “

She added, “You truly made an impact on this world with your zest and your passion for body positivity. I’m blessed to have gotten to experienced you in this world.”