Charity Pierce, the beloved “My 600-lb Life” star who inspired viewers with her remarkable weight loss journey, has died at age 50, surrounded by loved ones after spending approximately two months in hospice care.
Pierce’s daughter, Charly Jo, confirmed her mother’s death on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in an emotional post that revealed the reality star passed away peacefully at 1:20 AM.
“Almost all immediate family knows so, my mom passed away today. She’s up with her momma and brother and sister and she’s finally at peace,” Charly Jo wrote.
The TLC personality had been battling serious health complications, including lymphedema and fluid buildup in her lungs, though an official cause of death has not been released. Pierce’s medical struggles extended far beyond her weight, with recent years bringing a kidney cancer diagnosis in December 2019 that required surgery to remove her kidney in March 2020.
Pierce captured hearts nationwide when she appeared on season three of “My 600-lb Life” in 2015, weighing 778 pounds at age 39. Her story became one of the show’s most talked-about journeys as she fought to reclaim her life under the guidance of Houston-based bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, resident had struggled with obesity since her early teenage years, rooted in a traumatic childhood. By the time she sought help, Pierce was housebound and desperate for change. Lymphedema had caused massive swelling in her left leg, making it impossible for her to fit in a regular car.
“I would rather die than live this way,” Pierce said during her initial appearance on the show.
Her fiancé Tony Sauer, 17 years her junior, pushed her to seek medical intervention, expressing his deep concern for her survival. Pierce committed fully to transformation, slashing her daily caloric intake from a staggering 10,000 calories to just 1,200 and incorporating daily exercise into her routine.
The results were dramatic. Pierce lost 282 pounds within her first year, a feat that earned her a return appearance on “My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?” After undergoing weight loss surgery and multiple skin removal procedures, including one that removed 38 pounds of excess skin from her stomach and another that removed 57 pounds of fluid and fat from her leg, Pierce regained the independence she had lost.
But the journey came with brutal setbacks. Pierce developed a serious infection following one skin removal procedure and was rushed back to the hospital for emergency treatment to prevent septic shock. Dr. Nowzaradan performed emergency surgery to clear the infection, which threatened to derail her progress.
“Losing weight has been a lot harder than I ever expected,” she said on the show. “Since I’ve lost so much weight, the excess skin on my stomach has been causing a lot of problems. I’ve been getting a lot of cellulitis infections.”
The complications extended beyond physical pain. Pierce missed her mother’s funeral because she was recovering from gastric bypass surgery. Her mother, who had been suffering from brain cancer, passed away before Pierce was healthy enough to travel—a devastating loss that added emotional weight to her already challenging journey.
Personal betrayal struck too. During a 2019 trip home to Iowa, Pierce discovered that her fiancé Tony had begun a relationship with her sister, sending her into a depression that led her back to food, alcohol, and cigarettes. Yet she persevered.
Despite the obstacles, Pierce remained determined to maintain her progress and avoid returning to her former life of isolation and immobility.
“I don’t want to go back to the way I was, where I was trapped in one room in my apartment all day, every day,” Pierce said.
By the end of the 2020 episode “Where Are They Now,” she was under 300 lbs.
In her Facebook post, Charly Jo expressed gratitude for being present during her mother’s last moments. “Charity fly high momma. I hope you know how much I love you and how grateful I was to be able to be by your side while you took your last breath,” she wrote alongside a photo holding her mother’s hand.
Pierce’s story resonated with millions who watched her battle obesity, trauma, and medical complications while fighting to reclaim her life. Her transparency about the physical and emotional toll of extreme weight loss made her one of the show’s most memorable participants. She was also a grandmother to Charly Jo’s two children.
Though Pierce faced ongoing health challenges in recent years, including her kidney cancer diagnosis, she continued inspiring others with her resilience and determination. Her death marks the loss of a reality television personality who showed viewers that transformation is possible, even when the path forward seems impossible.
