DESTINEE Lashaee, the first transgender star of My 600-Lb Life, died unexpectedly with her brother confirming the unfortunate news via Facebook on Tuesday.
She first appeared on the TLC show - where she documented her mental health struggles - back in 2019.
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Wayne Compton, Destinee's brother, confirmed the reality star's death on Tuesday according to The Ashleys Reality Roundup.
In a moving tribute to his sister, he wrote: "I'm sorry bro, I accept you for who you are, I accept every flaw that come with you."
He then hinted at the mental health struggles Destinee was battling, saying: "I'm sorry you felt alone.
"I'm sorry you felt you had nobody else to turn to, I'm sorry you felt you had no other option."
Prior to her death, Destinee shared several troubling messages on social media suggesting she was struggling.
Last week, she wrote: "If I was surrounded by all my tears I'd be floating in the ocean."
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Then, on Saturday, Destinee shared another concerning post, writing: "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."
THE SHOW
Destinee appeared on Season seven of My 600-Lb Life, which aired in 2019.
At the time, Destinee weighed in at 669 lbs.
She said on the show: "I'm just 27. I have so much that I want to do and need to do.
"I can't believe this is my life now. Where I lay here all day and wait for food."
She went on, speaking about her mental health struggles: "I feel like all I'm constantly doing is trying to escape my depression and paint at this point.
"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."
After the show, Destinee shed nearly 500 lbs.
She celebrated the accomplishment on social media, sharing a series of transformation photos.
In one such post, she wrote: "Trust Even I don’t believe it. I told the show I was Gonna be one of the biggest success stories they ever seen tho that experience messed me up mentally n with everything else I was dealing with I kept pushing I’m still pushing.
"Somebody wants to Give up Today Please don’t definitely take breaks there important but please never give up you are strong and you are beautiful at any size and any gender be your true self walk your truth n watch how strong n powerful you’ll be.
"I thank god for guiding me till this day and never leaving my side I’m beyond grateful n can’t wait to get rid of all this skin so I can truly be my authentic self."
LEGAL DRAMA
She also joined other My 600-Lb. Life stars in suing Megalomedia, the show's production company.
The legal filing accused producers of negligence, intentionally inflicting emotional distress, fraud, and other offenses.
Destinee claimed he was taken advantage of by producers, and forced to shave her face on camera.
In the court filing, the reality star claimed the company had "taken advantage" of her, focusing "only on ratings".
She accused the production company of promising to pay for mental health treatment after she informed them that she was dealing with "gender dysphoria and emotional distress from the loss of her brother, who died in her arms."
She claimed in her court filing that producers gave her one therapy session "so that it could be filmed to be part of the show."
Destinee also said she was "pressured to shave her face, which is a source of stress and anxiety to Plantiff."
The filing stated: “The filming of her shaving was so painful that it was not made part of the show. The stress led Plaintiff to have a breakdown in which she kicked the producers out of her home, and threatened to kill them and herself.”
She alleged that instead of de-escalating the situation, producers “returned to the home in hopes of getting more dramatic footage.”
She claimed they “aggravated the situation” rather than “providing appropriate assistance."
Destinee also said producers “carefully scripted and managed many scenes for dramatic effect.”
When she would “push back,” producers would “threaten to reduce payments to her to not provide the promised gastric sleeve surgery.”
She claimed that although the production company “promised” to pay for medical care and treatment, she was left with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
The court papers state: “The effects of Defendants’ manipulation of Plaintiff for dramatic purposes, among with the ramifications for the diet and Defendants’ demands on Plaintiff, took a tremendous psychological toll on Plaintiff.”
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She was seeking $1 million in damages.
No more information about Destinee's death is available at this time.
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You're not alone
SUICIDE is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leading Causes of Death Report from 2018.
There were "more than two and half times as many suicides" in the US than there were homicides, according to the report.
For people ages 10 and 34, suicide was the "second leading cause of death" and the fourth for individuals ages 35 to 54.
Suicide is a vital health concern in the U.S. It affects all genders, races and ages.
This is why The-Sun.com launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The campaign calls on readers to discuss their mental health issues with their family, friends and health professionals. We can all pitch in to help out others who may be suffering and help save lives.
If you are struggling to cope, you are not alone. There are many free and confidential programs in the US aimed to help those who are struggling with their mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, these organizations are here to provide support:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org, 1-800-273-TALK
- Crisis Text Line, www.crisistextline.org, Text HOME to 741741
- Veterans Crisis Hotline, www.veteranscrisisline.net, 1-800-273-8255
- Trevor Project, www.thetrevorproject.org, 1-866-488-7386
