Caleb Bankston, a competitor on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, died at the age of 26 following a train derailment while working at the Alabama Warrior Railway in Birmingham, AL. People confirmed the news on Wednesday morning.
Bankston was one of the long-running reality show's few gay contestants. He competed on the 27th season of the CBS series with his fiance Colton Cumbie. The pair came in ninth.
The couple, together since 2010, were reportedly due to wed in October.
Former contestants of the show immediately remembered Bankston for his sweet personality. "Caleb was an amazing man and friend," Season 27 contestant Aras Baskauskas told People. "One of the sweetest and most sincere humans I've ever come across. I am gutted by his loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Watch Bankston and Cumbie introduce themselves to viewers in a "meet the cast" video:
