James King Dies: Former ‘My 600-lb. Life’ Subject Was 49

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James King, whose story was told in a 2017 episode of the TLC docuseries My 600-lb. Life, has died. He was 49. King died April 3 at Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville. No cause of death was revealed, but King had numerous health issues.

King was profiled in a Season 5 episode of My 600-lb. Life, that aired in March 2017. With King weighing in at nearly 800 pounds, the episode focused on his attempts to get down to 600 so he could have potentially life-saving gastric bypass surgery. He made some return visits to the show, ultimately topping 840 pounds in 2018.

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Watch a clip about his story above.

TLC posted a tribute to King on Twitter today: “TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of James King, who shared his weight-loss journey on My 600lb Life. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.”

King was born on June 2, 1970, in Paducah, KY. He and his brother were raised by their father; King said on the show, “I only saw my mother three times during my childhood, and she was drunk every time, so my dad took care of us.” He later reconnected with his mother, “and I felt that something that had been missing from my life wasn’t missing as much anymore.”

But his mother died a few months later. While he was attending her funeral, he said, “We got a phone call that our family home had burned down, and I lost just about everything I had in a single day.” He depression became so bad, he said, that he couldn’t even go to school: “It seems like all I wanted to do was eat.”

King is survived by his wife, Lisa; father, Donald; a brother, Donald; two step-sisters and two step-brothers; four daughters and two sons; and 19 grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are being kept private, according to Milner & Orr Funeral Home.

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