'Moonshiners' Star Lance Waldroup Dead at 30

Lance Waldroup, a key member of the Moonshiners cast from the Discovery reality series, has died at the age of 30. Waldroup became a fan-favorite on the series alongside his father Jeff and the colorful cast of characters that surrounded them on the series. The North Carolina native passed away on February 25 at his home, with no cause of death announced yet.

According to TMZ, Waldroup's family set up a GoFundMe for a memorial fund and added that the reality star was a "recovering drug addict" who turned things around after a stay in rehab. He was preceded in death by his sister at age 11 and his brother's death at age 20. TMZ notes that the family shared Waldroup dealt with "survivor's guilt" during his short life.

"Growing up Lance was extremely close to his sister Lyndsey. Lyndsey loved to cook and Lance loved to eat! His sister Lyndsey had Cystic Fibrosis and she passed away when she was 11 years old," the GoFundMe listing reads. "Lance was also close to his brother Lamar and they did everything together. His brother Lamar also had Cystic Fibrosis and had to have a lung transplant. Lamar lived for 1 1/2 years with the lung transplant and did pass away when he was 20 years old."

According to the GoFundMe, Waldroup left Moonshiners after his mother, Lynn, was diagnoses with Multiple Sclerosis and required full-time care. On top of these health struggles, Waldroup's father left the show himself to return to his former career. Sadly, Jeff Waldroup has been out of work since Novemember 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and weather issues.

A service for the late reality star is set for March 6 at Cedar Cliff Baptist Church, with visitation at 11 a.m. and the service at 1 p.m. according to the GoFundMe. The fundraiser has raised $4,280 of a $15,000 goal to this point, with 55 donors since the page was launched.

The fundraiser claims to be an attempt to give back to the family for all they've done in the past. Before leaving Moonshiners, Jeff and Lance would help craft their own fundraisers to help people in need. This includes traveling outside of North Carolina to help those in other states. "We are looking to help raise as much money as possible in the next few weeks to be able to present to the family for a proper burial. It is moments like these to help get one of our own through this most difficult time," the GoFundMe says.