Ryan De Nino, who appeared on season two of Lifetime’s “Married at First Sight,” has died at age 40, according to a tribute posted by his sister, Melissa De Nino. News of his death broke on Friday, August 14, 2026, and a cause of death was not immediately revealed.

Melissa De Nino shared several photos of her brother alongside family members on social media, remembering him warmly in a heartfelt tribute. She described him as loyal and generous, someone whose personality left a mark on the people around him.

“Ryan was so damn funny and witty. He was fiercely loyal to those he loved,” she wrote in her tribute, adding that he had a huge heart. She also reflected on the singular bond between siblings and how difficult it is to lose someone who has been part of your life from the very beginning.

Melissa had announced her brother’s death via Facebook on Tuesday, August 11. Her post drew a wave of support in the comments, with friends and acquaintances echoing her sentiments about his humor and warmth.

A Sister’s Heartfelt Goodbye

In her tribute, Melissa spoke candidly about the weight of losing someone who shares your earliest memories. She said that no matter what she and her brother were going through over the years, her love for him never wavered, and she noted that life as she knows it will never be the same.

The outpouring in response to her post underscored how many people remembered Ryan fondly. Commenters described him as someone with real potential and a great heart, and several said they still smile when they think of him.

His Time on ‘Married at First Sight’

Ryan first entered the public eye on the New York City-set second season of “Married at First Sight,” which premiered in 2015. On the Lifetime series, couples are paired by a panel of experts and legally married before they ever meet. Ryan was matched with Jessica Castro, and the two chose to remain married on “Decision Day,” the moment when couples decide whether to stay together or part ways.

At the time, Jessica spoke on the show about her commitment to the marriage, saying she came from a family of long, successful marriages and that divorce simply didn’t fit into her lifestyle. That optimism, however, proved short-lived.

The couple went their separate ways only weeks after cameras stopped rolling, and their relationship came to an end following a contentious breakup later that year. Jessica subsequently filed a restraining order against Ryan, alleging that he had threatened her and her family. She also claimed that he had been unfaithful during their brief marriage.

The two came face to face at the season two reunion in 2015. That confrontation ended memorably: Jessica tossed Ryan a $100 bill, saying he needed the money more than she did. Ryan pocketed the cash and stormed off the set without addressing the accusations. He also made a threatening remark about Jessica while a microphone was still hot.

Jessica Castro Breaks Her Silence

Given their fraught history, all eyes turned to Jessica after news of Ryan’s death broke. She addressed the situation with grace, making clear that she and her former husband had long since gone their separate ways.

Jessica, 42, told Page Six on Friday, August 14, that she had not had any contact with Ryan in years and had no idea what his life had entailed. Still, she offered her condolences, saying she could not imagine what his family was going through and wishing him peace.

Her measured response reflected the distance that had grown between the two in the years since their season aired. Whatever animosity may have existed during the show and its reunion, Jessica chose to extend compassion to Ryan’s grieving loved ones.

Behind the Show’s Matchmaking Process

The tumultuous outcome of Ryan and Jessica’s pairing has long been part of the conversation around the reality experiment. The Kinetic Company, which produces the series, has previously emphasized that participants undergo extensive background and psychological checks by third parties before agreeing to be legally married on the show. Production documents each couple’s journey for six weeks after the wedding.

The company has also acknowledged the limits of that process, noting that while its experts have the best intentions and highest hopes for every couple, they cannot control how participants behave or govern their actions once filming wraps. In Ryan and Jessica’s case, producers provided her with a security team amid the fallout.

Ryan is survived by his sister, Melissa, who paid tribute to him as funny, loyal and big-hearted. Her words captured a side of her brother that endured beyond the headlines, and a bond that, in her telling, no hardship could break.