Destinee Lashaee, Trans Star on My 600-lb Life, Has Died

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Destinee Lashaee, the first transgender contestant on the TLC reality show 'My 600-lb Life', has died. No cause of death has been reported, but Lashaee had shared on social media that she was deeply depressed.

Lashaee, who appeared on the show in 2019, had recently posted messages indicative of her depression and possibly suicidal thoughts. “If I was surrounded by all my tears I’d be floating in the ocean,” she posted last week. A message from Saturday read,

“To everyone who genuinely love and support me I love you and I’m grateful to have touched millions of lives and hearts around the world. Living my life with so much pain for so long I’ve come to realize that God makes no mistakes. I’m grateful for my journey and all I’ve been through. I don’t regret a single moment. Love you all.”

Her brother Wayne Compton posted about her death Tuesday, The U.S. Sun reports.

“I’m sorry bro, I accept you for who you are, I accept every flaw that come 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,” Compton wrote on Facebook.

Lashaee weighed 669 pounds when she went on the show, which details the weight-loss efforts of contestants who weigh 600 pounds or more. She ended up losing nearly 500 pounds after her season on the show. She spoke about her mental health struggles on the program, the Sun notes.

“I feel like all I’m constantly doing is trying to escape my depression and paint at this point,” she said on the show. “Food is the only thing I can turn to to do that. I can feel it killing me. There is no way I’m going to survive for much longer.” She was only 27 at the time.

https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2022/2/09/destinee-lashaee-1st-trans-contestant-my-600-lb-life-has-died