Destinee LaShaee, the first transgender person profiled on “My 600-Lb. Life,” has died. They were 30.
LaShaee’s brother confirmed the death in a Feb. 8 Facebook post, and paid tribute to his sibling who also used the name Matthew Ventress.
“No no no I’m sorry bro, I accept you for who you are,” Wayne Compton shared on Facebook. “I accept every flaw that came with you, I’m sorry you felt alone, I’m sorry you felt you had nobody else to turn too, I’m sorry you felt you had no other option. Destiny wouldn’t of wanted this, lord why keep taking my siblings away, how much can I take?”
The cause of death is not yet known.
LaShaee appeared on the seventh season of TLC’s “My 600-Lb. Life” in 2019, where they opened up about personal struggles with food as well as mental health challenges.
“I just lay here all day and wait for food. I don’t see any of my family and friends, unless they come to see me,” Destinee said on the episode. “I feel like all I’m constantly doing is trying to escape my depression and pain at this point. Food is the only thing I can turn to to do that. I can feel it killing me.”
By 2021, LaShaee lost almost 500 pounds, as can be seen on Instagram. They posted updates as well as motivational quotes and other snapshots of text leading up to their final Instagram post, a profile shot captioned “Gracefully Broken.”