Former ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Contestant Rod Durham Dies at 52
Rod Durham, a high school drama teacher who was a contestant on ABC’s “Extreme Weight Loss,” has died. He was 52.
Durham, from Tallahassee, Florida, was found dead in his Fort Lauderdale motel room by housekeepers over the weekend, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. The Leon High School teacher was visiting the beach destination during spring break and friends say he died of diabetic shock.
Durham weighed roughly 450 pounds when he competed on “Extreme Weight Loss” in 2014, going on to lose more than 180 pounds while on the show.
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“I was the third oldest and second heaviest [contestant],” Durham told the Tallahassee Democrat at the time. “I wasn’t always the first one who finished, but I always finished it.”
“Heaven just got a lot brighter today when Rod entered the pearly gates,” “Extreme Weight Loss” trainer Heidi Powell wrote on Instagram Monday.
“Rod, you will be missed terribly. Everything from your kindness, to your warm smile and bear hugs, to your friendship, to your extraordinary ability to make ANYONE (including me) feel special. YOU are special. And will never be forgotten.”
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The reality TV personality was also well known in the Tallahassee theater community as an actor and director. He co-directed “Agnes of God,” and acted in many plays, including “The Piano Lesson” and “The Merchant of Venice” at the Theatre Tallahassee.
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