Reality TV Personality Found Dead in Her Apartment After Surgery: Liberzh Kpadonu Was 36

Russian reality TV star Liberzh Kpadonu has died. The Dom-2 contestant, 36, was found dead in her apartment in Korolyov, Moscow Oblast on March 31 after neighbors reported a “strong smell” and requested a welfare check. While a cause of death has not been determined, authorities believe Korolyov died alone in the apartment shortly after undergoing surgery for a tumor in her right lung, The Daily Beast reported.

Kpadonu’s body was discovered 41 days after she shared her last social media update with fans. In an emotional video posted to Instagram on Feb. 14, the reality TV star told her followers that she was traveling to undergo surgery to remove a lump in her chest. A tearful Kpadonu ended the video with a goodbye message to fans. She hadn’t shared anything on social media since, with authorities believing she died shortly after the surgery.

“She died. We lived next door to her. Today we found her at home, she had been lying there for a long time,” a neighbor named Lyudmila told local media, per the Daily Mail. Fellow reality TV contestant Aliana Ustinenko told local media that Kpadonu died shortly after undergoing an operation.

“It’s all true. Forty-one days ago. Baby, rest in peace,” Ustinenko said. “I can’t say anything, there are simply no words. Now the main thing is to get through to the parents. They are not in the know and don’t know anything yet. We kindly ask you not to be negative on any topic, but simply accept and remember the good.”

Kpadonu was known for her time as a contestant on Dom-2, a Russian reality series in which contestants are tasked with constructing a house while trying to find a partner. Kpadonu first joined the show in 2011, ultimately leaving with one of the participants. She went on to rejoin the series in 2013, marrying participant Evgeny Rudnev. The pair divorced six months later and left the project in 2015, though she later returned to Dom-2 as a representative of the jury in the “Person of the Year” competition in May 2023.