Rod Durham's new life was just getting started when it was tragically cut short this week. The Extreme Weight Loss star, who lost 180 pounds in one year on the reality show, was found dead in his Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hotel room at age 52. The cause of death is being reported as diabetic shock.
“Heaven just got a lot brighter today when Rod entered the pearly gates,” series trainer Heidi Powell shared on Instagram Monday. “Rod, you will be missed terribly.”
Though Durham went from 450 pounds to 270 pounds while filming the show in 2014, the reality star said in a recent interview that his greatest achievement from the journey was having the courage to come out to his father. “Coming out to my father at 49 was huge. My father was a military man, and I thought it would cause him pain and disappointment but it really was just me, afraid of rejection,” he told Tallahassee magazine. “Yes, I lost a lot of weight, but this transformation has very little to do with my weight loss. The transformation was in my head and in my heart.”
Rod's father passed away this past December after battling a long illness.
Durham seemed be reveling in his new life, with his most recent post to Instagram celebrating his 52nd birthday just a few weeks ago. "I'm 52 today (February 6th) ...Behold B****hes (sorry! I'm happy to still be alive!)" he captioned the pic:

Our condolences are with Durham's family, friends and fans.
Watch EJ Johnson show off his weight loss on Wendy Williams, below:

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