“Extreme Weight Loss” star Brandi Mallory reportedly passed away due to obesity complications, and there was no indication of foul play, according to an autopsy report from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, as reported by People magazine.
Officials said the 40-year-old’s manner of death was “natural” with “no evidence of significant recent injury.”
The report also showed that marijuana and alcohol were identified in Mallory’s system but didn’t play a role in her death.
Mallory died in early November after going on a quick run to grab dinner from an Atlanta-area Chipotle. She was spotted entering the restaurant to grab her meal before returning to her parked car.
The owner of a deli in the strip mall spotted her unresponsive in her car the next day and contacted the police.
“It appears to be a dead body in a car parked in the parking lot,” the man told the 911 operator in audio posted by TMZ. “There’s a girl laying in her car, she doesn’t look right. I’ve knocked on the hood, no movement – doesn’t look like she’s breathing.”
Loved ones gathered at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Tucker, Georgia, for Mallory’s funeral late last month. Per the magazine, she was laid to rest at a cemetery in Stone Mountain.
The reality TV contestant was known for her journey in losing more than 100 pounds on the hit show “Extreme Weight Loss” on ABC. On her social media pages, she shared positive quotes, dance routines and about her professional makeup business.
Mallory received overwhelming love from family and friends, who shared of her impact on their lives. In an interview with People, an ex-host of the show spoke about how Mallory was an example for many.
“That girl could dance. And she always brought that energy with everything that we were doing. She really owned the body positivity movement,” Chris Powell told the outlet. “It was great because she was very open about her struggles with her weight and everything, but the fact that she would just get out there and she would just fully express herself, you could feel how free she was. And that in turn inspired so many other people to jump on board to accept and embrace and appreciate their bodies.”
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mallory struggled with her weight since her early childhood years when she started eating as a remedy for her problems. With the help of a friend, she began to exercise after her sorority sister passed away from a heart attack.
“When my sorority sister passed, I started to live in fear about when my time would come,” she said in 2014, per the outlet.
When Powell informed Mallory that she was a finalist for the show, she was emotional: “I broke down crying,” she said.
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