Robert Buchel, an 842-lb. man who had hoped to undergo life-saving weight loss surgery with the help of TLC’s My 600-Lb. Life, has died of a heart attack at the age of 41. 
 
 Buchel, 41, was the subject of Wednesday night’s episode of the reality show, and had successfully lost nearly 200 lbs. after moving with his fiancé, Kathryn Lemanski, from New Jersey to Houston. But his addiction to painkillers derailed surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan’s efforts to help, and Buchel passed away on Nov. 15, 2017. 
 
 In a statement to PEOPLE, TLC said they were “deeply saddened” by his loss. 
 
 They added: “We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.” 
 
 Lemanski wrote on Facebook that Buchel struggled knowing that his life wasn’t going the way he had hoped. 
 
 “Rob suffered from never realizing how good a man he was and always felt inadequate and a failure,” she wrote two days after his death. “Thank you to all of you for validating my love for him. I knew what kind of soul he had but could never convince him of how truly special he was. A person like him should never have to die this way and certainly not this young and most definitely not when his life was about to begin.” 
 
 Lemanski added that Buchel was becoming optimistic for his future after losing weight in the hospital. 
 
 “Rob had a hard life, and in the last two months he finally had hope for the life he always wanted,” she said. 
 
 A friend of Lemanski’s created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Buchel’s medical bills and funeral costs, and to help her move back to New Jersey. 
 
 “Kathryn incurred a crushing debt, between medical bills and moving expenses, only to have to pack up, turn around and move back,” they wrote. “Kathryn is one of the most selfless and giving individuals one could ever meet, she is well deserving of any help that can be offered.” ||||| A participant on the TLC reality series "My 600-Lb. Life" became the first cast member to die during filming in an episode that aired Wednesday. 
 
 Robert Buchel's lifelong battle with obesity was chronicled for season six of the hit series, and viewers watched in heartbreaking detail how Buchel steadily improved by shedding more than 200 pounds before ultimately suffering a fatal heart attack in November at age 41. 
 
 "TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert," the network said in a statement. "We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time." 
 
 Accompanying Buchel for much of his journey was fiancée Kathryn Lemanski, who moved with her husband-to-be to Texas from New Jersey to aid as he continued his treatment. 
 
 Morbidly obese woman is star of 'My 600-Lb Life' 
 
 Buchel — whose weight ballooned to 842 pounds thanks to a lifelong food addiction — made quick progress at first, shedding 217 pounds at a Houston hospital in preparation for lymphedema removal surgery. 
 
 Once Buchel had his surgery, however, his previously unacknowledged addiction to painkillers kicked in, and he grew depressed and struggled to make progress as his body deteriorated. In a desperate bid at scoring more painkillers, he tore his surgery stitches. 
 
 Robert Buchel died while filming for TLC's “My 600-Lb. Life.” (Facebook) 
 
 Buchel was forced to leave his rehabilitation center for a long-term care facility after it became clear he was no longer trying to stay active, and shortly after, suffered a heart attack and died. 
 
 His final moment on screen ended on a hopeful note, as Buchel expressed interest in making progress for the sake of his fiancée. 
 
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 But not long after, Lemanski appeared on screen to recount their final night together, saying that Buchel told her he didn't feel well and didn't think he'd make it through the night. 
 
 "He told me, 'I don't think I'll make it through the night. I love you and I always will,'" she said. "I lost my best friend and the person I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." 
 
 A GoFundMe was launched in support of Lemanski shortly after Buchel's death in order to help her pay off debts she'd accumulated helping care for him. 
 
 Buchel was the first participant of the series to die during filming, though season one's Henry Foots died in 2013 of an illness unrelated to his weight loss surgery. 
 
 Sign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing! ||||| Robert Buchel, who appeared on the TLC show "My 600 Pound Life" has died. 
 
 The New Jersey resident, who weighed 842 pounds, was featured on Wednesday night's episode where viewers learned he suffered a heart attack during the filming of the show. 
 
 Buchel had undergone weight loss surgery and was placed on a strict diet before he died suddenly of a heart attack on Nov. 17, 2017. Fans only learned of his death last night. 
 
 "TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert. We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers," TLC told Fox News. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time." 
 
 Buchel's fiancee Kathryn said at his funeral, "I lost my best friend and the person I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." 
 
 Prior to his death, Buchel said in the episode, "To carry all this weight is physically draining, mentally, emotionally taxing," Robert said. "It's not a pain or life I’d wish on anyone because I can't do anything. I can’t do anything for anyone — especially myself so I am completely dependent on my fiancee." 
 
 The pair were due to marry next year. ||||| Another subject of the reality show “My 600-Lb. Life” has passed away. 
 
 Arleasher “Lisa” Fleming, who was featured on the TLC series earlier this year, died at 50 years old on Thursday, her daughter announced on Facebook. 
 
 “I am truly at a loss for words right now. God knows I wanted you to hold on until I got here but He knew what was best for me,” Danielle Fleming wrote. “I didn’t need to see you like that! This morning I sat and held your hand for 4 hours knowing nothing I could’ve done would bring you back to me.” 
 
 Lisa weighed 704 pounds when she sought treatment. 
 
 She said on the show that she had struggled with her weight since childhood, with her issues being exacerbated after her parents divorced and after her brother was murdered. Lisa also said her weight continued to climb after each of her four pregnancies. 
 
 She was in such bad shape when her episode filmed that seven paramedics were needed to remove her from bed to take her to the hospital. Once hospitalized, Lisa lost 87 pounds, but had trouble maintaining her diet upon leaving, gaining 29 pounds upon her release, Radar Online reported. 
 
 But Danielle told TMZ that Lisa lost 200 pounds on her own following her appearance on the show and was able to stand on her own before her death. 
 
 Danielle insisted that Lisa’s death was not the result of her weight, but of several illnesses, telling the site, “At the end she was sick and her body was tired and her body just gave out.” 
 
 A rep for TLC told Page Six in a statement Friday, “TLC is saddened to hear that Lisa Fleming, who appeared on ‘My 600-Lb. Life,’ passed away on August 23, 2018. In February, viewers followed Lisa’s story to overcome childhood struggles and family tragedy during her weight-loss journey with Dr. Now. TLC shares its deepest sympathies to Lisa’s family and friends.” 
 
 Lisa is the third subject of the show to die within the last year. In November, Robert Buchel died of a heart attack before his episode aired. Earlier this month, James “L.B.” Bonner, an amputee who underwent gastric bypass surgery on “My 600-Lb. Life,” was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 30 years old.
– TLC reality show My 600-lb Life profiles the efforts of the obese to lose weight, but viewers were given heartbreaking news in this week's episode: Robert Buchel, a New Jersey man who weighed 842 pounds at the start of the episode, did not survive filming. The 41-year-old, who went on a strict diet for months and lost more than 200 pounds before surgery to lose more weight, died suddenly of a heart attack on Nov. 15 last year, People reports. Buchel, who moved from New Jersey to Texas with fiancee Kathryn Lemanski for the treatment, was addicted to painkillers and he became depressed after the surgery, at one point tearing out his stitches in a bid to be given more drugs, the New York Daily News reports. "Robert battled an addiction and lost but he never gave up," said his surgeon, Dr. Younan Nowzaraden. Buchel is the first person to have died during filming for the TLC show, which is now in its sixth season. In a Facebook post, Lemanski called the death a "robbery beyond words," saying that after a hard life, Buchel had finally started having hope for the future. "The night before he passed he told me 'If I don't wake up tomorrow please know that I have always loved you,'" she said. TLC was "deeply saddened" by the death and is "grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers," the network said in a statement to Fox.