‘Seeking Sister Wife’ Star and Ex of Late Bernie McGee Speaks out After His Death

Seeking Sister Wife star Bernie McGee’s ex, Brandy, has broken her silence following the reality star’s sudden death at the age of 41.

Speaking to Radar Online just after his passing, Brandy revealed that McGee’s ex-wife Paige McGee and their four children are “struggling” following his sudden loss.

“It’s a very sad time,” Brandy told the outlet, adding that Paige and her children are not “doing well…It’s definitely a very hard time.”

McGee passed away suddenly on Saturday, June 15 at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi after suffering a “heat stroke/heart attack” while riding his bike.

Prior to his death, he had called Paige, who, when announcing the news on Facebook, explained that he had said he “wasn’t feeling well and to come pick him up. By the time I got there, EMTs were working on him, but I could already tell. The coroner said he had a heat stroke/heart attack. Please bare with me. I will respond as I can.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, TLC said, “Our hearts go out to the McGee family following the loss of husband and father Bernie McGee,” the network said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”

In the wake of his death, a GoFundMe page was created in an effort to help raise money to pay for McGee’s funeral services and also support his family in the weeks to come.

“As most know, Bernie was the sole provider for the family and Paige teaches their children,” the page reads. “She now has the burden of funeral cost, her house lease is up in a month, cost of living expenses and taking care of two young boys on her own. The last thing needed is the stress and worry of how she will take care of financial responsibilities.”

The page added that McGee’s death left “Paige and his two younger boys in shock, disbelief and terribly upset” and that “they faced the worst sudden devastation that shocked many.”

The page has since raised a total of $2,387 of its $10,000 goal.

McGee rose to be in the public eye on Season 2 of the TLC series, Seeking Sister Wife, during which he and Paige documented their journey as a polygamous couple seeking a second wife after their home in Mississippi burned down. It was at that time that they connected with Brandy, though the relationship ultimately didn’t work out and she never married into the family.