The former reality show subject was reportedly hospitalized on March 29.

My 600-Lb. Life star Dolly Martinez’s cause of death revealed

The former reality show subject was reportedly hospitalized on March 29.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

EW's editorial guidelines

April 13, 2026 4:11 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Dolly Martinez of 'My 600-Lb. Life'. Credit:

Dolly Martinez's cause of death has been revealed, days after the *My 600-Lb. Life* alum died at 30.

Two days after her family took to social media to announce that the reality show subject had died, Martinez's mother, Staci Thurman, has revealed to TMZ that she was initially hospitalized on March 29 after suffering from medical issues that included fluid in her heart and lungs.

Thurman told the outlet that Martinez was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma and put on a ventilator. She did not wake up and ultimately died of congestive heart failure. Funeral arrangements have yet to be made.

One day prior to announcing the tragic news, Martinez's sister, Lindsey Cooper, penned a social media post on Friday asking people to share their prayers and be respectful during Martinez's health battle.

Dolly Martinez.

Dolly Martinez/Facebook

"Today is national siblings day and it for sure was a hard one," Cooper wrote via Facebook. "I haven’t made any post or let many [people] know but my sister Dolly is in the hospital and is fighting for her life. At this time I ask for prayers and privacy as we as a family navigate through this hard time"

On Saturday, Cooper was the one to share that her sister had died. In the touching tribute, she wrote, "Dolly had the brightest personality she could light up any room with her laughter, her kindness, and her loving spirit. She had a way of making everyone feel special, and her warmth will stay with us forever."

Martinez appeared on season 10 of the hit TLC reality show, which documents the years-long journey of individuals who weigh around 600 pounds as they strive to lose weight and potentially undergo gastric bypass surgery. In her 2021 episode, Martinez weighed just under 593 pounds, and relied on supplemental oxygen.

The reality show subject was not only candid about her struggles with weight gain, but opened up about the ways that her mental health issues were impacting her physical health.

"The only thing powerful enough to distract me from darker thoughts is food. Food is my go-to drug that takes my pain away," she said during the episode. "Food is more than just a pleasure. It’s my reason for existing."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

She continued, "Food has caused all of the things I hate about my life, but it is the only thing I have ever had to help me feel good and I don’t know where to even begin to change that. Ever since I can remember, food was just a coping thing, I guess. It just made me happy. It still does. Food just makes me happy."

The episode saw Dolly meet with the show's bariatric surgeon Dr. Now, and after the episode, moved to Houston to be closer to the surgeon's office. She ultimately lost 40 pounds on the show and was not approved for the weight-loss procedure.

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Death News

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”