Latonya Pottain, whose weight struggles were chronicled on TLC’s My 600-lb. Life, has died at age 40.
Pottain’s brother told TMZ that his sister recently went to a hospital in Shreveport, La. after cardiac arrest and died on May 17.
The coroner’s officer confirmed that Pottain died from congestive heart failure, but a final autopsy is still pending.
What happened to Latonya Pottain when she appeared on ‘My 600-lb Life’?
As Pottain was featured on Season 11 of My 600-lb Life, Dr. Younan Nowzaradan, a bariatric surgeon based in Houston, expaind to her that he couldn’t do much to help since she wasn’t following the weight-loss program. Pottain gained weight at one of her check-ins.
RIP to Latonya Pottain,40, who appeared on TLC’s #600lbLife Latonya was still working on her weight loss journey, sharing her story on tt. Prayers to her family & friends 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/vVHvwgcE1g— Nicole (@Nprezzed) May 19, 2025
Why did Latonya Pottain recently create a GoFundMe campaign?
Pottain created a GoFundMe page in February to ask for help with medical transportation because she needs to go to the hospital for rehabilitation.
“I am completely bedridden and unable to get to the hospital because EMTs say transporting me would be a fire hazard due to my weight,” she wrote, per People. “This has been an incredibly difficult journey, and I truly want to fight for my health and my life.”
Pottain said at that time that she weighed 705 pounds and has remained in bed since June 2024.
“In 2022, I was featured on My 600-lb Life, where I started at 531 pounds and worked hard to get down to 505 pounds,” her GoFundMe page read. “However, after the show aired, I experienced overwhelming backlash, which sent me into a deep depression. My mental health suffered, and I became fearful of undergoing weight loss surgery.”
Pottain said she had been experiencing with sciatica (pain in the lower back and legs), which is triggered when the sciatic nerve faces heavy pressure.