TAMMY Slaton’s well-being has become a major concern for fans after her estranged husband’s sudden passing.
Caleb Willingham, whom the 1000 Lb. Sisters star married in 2022, died at the young age of 40– it was confirmed on Saturday.
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TMZ confirmed the shocking news on Saturday morning, with no cause of death given at this time.
Tammy, 36, also shared sweet photos in an Instagram tribute to her late ex-husband and made a statement calling him her “best friend.”
Fans flooded a Reddit internet thread reacting to the news, with many hoping Tammy is doing okay.
Tammy has made such amazing progress that some hoped she doesn’t fall back, others simply sent positive thoughts everyones’ way.
‘I HOPE TAMMY DOESN’T SLIP BACK’
One fan wrote: “This is so sad, I hope Tammy and Caleb’s family are all doing ok, thinking of them. rip caleb.”
Another wrote: “I hope the terrible news doesn’t trigger a relapse for Tammy.”
A third wrote: “I hope it keeps her on the right path.”
And a fourth person penned: “RIP Caleb. I really hope this doesn’t make Tammy slip back. She seems to really be doing good. Too bad he never could get the surgery.”
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A fifth wrote: “I know that they were separated, but I still feel pretty awful for Tammy. It sounds like she only split from him because he was a bad influence on her diet. That couldn’t have been an easy decision for her to make.”
Tammy received bariatric surgery last year, and has lost over 300 pounds looking unrecognizable from her weight loss journey.
Last week, however, fans were concerned after Tammy seemed to have ditched her walker for her wheelchair yet again.
Seeing Tammy in a wheelchair came as a shock to a lot of fans who thought she was able to walk after her weight loss.
TOUCHING TRIBUTE
Tammy shared her photo tribute to her late ex-husband on Saturday.
The slideshow showed the former pair smiling at the camera as they sat at the table together and other good times.
Tammy captioned the heartfelt post: “Rest in peace, sweet angel. You will forever be missed and loved so much.”
She concluded, “Thank you, Caleb, for showing me real love and happiness.”
The TLC star also told People: “I am devastated to share the news of my husband’s passing.
“He was my best friend and I loved him dearly.”
She continued: “When I met Caleb, he became my guardian angel and now he really is watching over me.
“Our families appreciate everyone’s sympathy and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Tammy closed: “We are deeply saddened to learn of Caleb Willingham’s passing.
“Our condolences go out to Tammy, his family, and friends at this difficult time.”
‘MY BIG BROTHER’
On June 30, Caleb’s younger brother first shared a message on Facebook about his death.
The post read: “I can’t believe I’m even making this post, but today GOD called my big brother home.
“R.I.P. Caleb Willingham aka Killla K, aka Double K, aka one-half of the dynamic WWF tag team champions, The W Boys, aka my biggest supporter in anything I do.
“You will be forever loved and missed. Until we meet again.”
TMZ then confirmed the news the following morning via Caleb’s stepmother.
THE SPLIT
An insider exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that the exes officially separated earlier this year.
Tammy was in the process of filing for divorce at the time of his passing.
The source explained that the TV personality decided to split ways with her spouse because he allowed his weight loss to slip by and began gaining pounds again.
“Tammy has her legal team lined up and is ready to file for divorce,” the insider close to the TV star told The U.S. Sun in May.
“They split up because Caleb hasn’t been following his diet in rehab,” the insider alleged and added: “He has gained 30 lbs and hasn’t been working his program.”
“They got into a big fight over it and he told her he wanted a divorce, but then he tried to backtrack,” the source claimed.
Tammy, 36, and Caleb met while they were in a weight loss rehabilitation facility in Ohio in 2022.
Caleb admitted to doing “research” on Tammy just weeks before he proposed to her, and fans accused him of coming on too strong.
The couple married in November, only a month after he proposed.
In February, the 1000-lb Sister star was released from the facility after receiving weight loss surgery, but she had to leave her new husband behind.
Caleb was not yet eligible for weight loss surgery, and it seemed like he had a long way to go.
After Tammy moved back to Kentucky, the couple quickly drifted apart, and rumors began to circulate that the two had split.
In April, Caleb even made a cryptic post alluding to their breakup, and in May their split was confirmed.
Though Caleb tried to keep their marriage together after falling out, it was too late to salvage their relationship.
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