‘My 600-lb Life’ Star James King’s Cause of Death Revealed by Family

Almost a week after it was reported that My 600-lb Life star James King died, his cause of death has been revealed. Because his death came amidst the current health pandemic, TMZ has clarified that King’s passing was not related to the coronavirus. The publication went on to report the actual cause of death for the reality star, expressing that he passed due to a specific health complication.

TMZ reported that King got sick in early February. One of his family members, who was not identified, told the outlet that the former My 600-lb Life star’s liver and kidneys were shutting down due to his weight. On Feb. 10, King, who lived in Paducah, Kentucky, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. However, he was later transported to a Nashville hospital, as they were better able to treat a patient of his size. After experiencing liver and kidney issues, King’s heart reportedly gave out because of the stress that his body was under. The publication reported that he died on April 3 in the Nashville hospital. King is survived by his wife, Lisa Raisor King, four daughters, two sons, and 19 grandchildren.

King was first brought into the spotlight in 2018 when he appeared in an episode of TLC’s My 600-lb Life. At the time, he shared his tragic backstory, telling the audience that he was raised by a single father and that his mother was a severe alcoholic and was consequently not around. Later in life, he reconnected with his mother. But, shortly after doing so, she passed away from liver cancer. On the same day of his mother’s funeral, his family house burned down.

“I lost just about everything I had in a single day,” he said in the episode. “I just couldn’t handle all that. I was just so depressed, tore up — I couldn’t even go to school. It seemed like all I wanted to do was eat.” My 600-lb Life also chronicled the health problems that King was experiencing. He had reportedly suffered from sepsis, cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure. During his time on the show, he had a peak weight of 791 pounds and was, at the time, the heaviest person to be featured on the program.

Following the news of King’s passing, the official Twitter account for My 600-lb Life issued a statement. In their message, they related that they were “deeply saddened” to hear the news. They added, “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”