'1000-lb Sisters' star Tammy Slaton fails to process 'grief like a human being' amid husband Caleb Willingham's death
DIXON, KENTUCKY: In the Season 5 finale of '1000-lb Sisters,' Tammy Slaton and her family organized a memorial to honor Caleb Willingham. Tammy, visibly heartbroken, confessed, "I'm experiencing ups and downs, I guess." The star proceeded to compare Caleb's death to that of her grandmother's, stating, "It hurt when Grandma died, but this is a different kind of hurt," says Tammy. Caleb Combs consoled his sister, saying, "It's totally understandable."
Amy Slaton described her sister's condition on the day of Caleb's death, "Tammy is numb right now. She doesn't know how to feel, she doesn't know how to process grief like a normal human being." She added, "She's just trying to manage the way she can." The preview clip showed Tammy and her family walking down the memorial place. They encounter Billy, a home care nurse and family friend, who consoled Tammy, saying, "Everything will be okay."
Billy shared his feelings while explaining how, 9 months ago, he officiated Tammy and Caleb's wedding, and now he had to be present at his death. He said, "It's really hard to put into words how to go from one extreme of officiating a wedding and watching Tammy at the happiest point of her life to just turning around in less than a year, then I have to witness her in the most tragic time of her life."
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'Don’t seem real': '1000-lb Sisters' star Tammy Slaton's family reacts to Caleb Willingham's death
Amid Caleb's death, the Slaton family expressed their concern for Tammy while confessing that the news was shocking to them as well. Chris Combs stated, "It doesn't seem real." Amanda Halterman agreed, saying, "It doesn't." Amanda continued, "I wouldn’t wish this type of situation on anybody, my worst enemy, or anybody's enemy." Chris then added how he felt upon hearing about Caleb's death. "It's really sad; he was a great guy, and I'm just devastated for Tammy," Chris shared in a preview clip posted by ET.
Did Tammy Slaton and Caleb Willingham get divorced before his death?
Reports confirmed that Tammy and Caleb had intentions of divorcing before his death. Nevertheless, this aspect was not addressed in '1000-lb Sisters' Season 5. In May 2023, Tammy had her legal team lined up for the divorce, according to Mirror. Ultimately the couple split as Caleb started to ignore the seriousness of not taking care of his health.
How did Tammy Slaton's ex-husband Caleb Willingham die?
Caleb reportedly succumbed to natural causes. Before his demise, he began experiencing numerous medical complications due to weight gain.
At the age of 40, Caleb passed away on June 30, 2023. Tammy conveyed the news to her fans in a heartfelt post on July 1 accompanied by several photos celebrating moments with Caleb. Tammy wrote, "RIP sweet angel; you will forever be missed and loved so much. Thank you, Caleb, for showing me real love and happiness."
You can stream '1000-lb Sisters' Season 5 on TLC.