Gay reality TV star Tyler Duckworth dies at 44

Openly gay The Challenge star Tyler Duckworth has died, his family confirmed on social media. He was 44.

Duckworth’s mother Joni confirmed his death on Facebook on Thursday, Aug. 13. “My son, Tyler, passed away earlier this week,” she wrote. “Cause of death has yet to be determined. I will post on Facebook about services as soon as his dad and I figure it out.”

Duckworth was found dead in his bathroom in North Dakota after a downstairs neighbor reported water coming through their ceiling, the Grand Forks Police Department told People.

There don’t appear to be any signs of foul play or a suspicious death, but the investigation remains pending.

Duckworth’s first appearance on reality television was in 2006 when he starred in MTV’s The Real World: Key West. He was already out at the time and also participating in The Gay Games. He went on to compete on four seasons of The Challenge, two of which he won, and two spin-off shows, All Stars 2 and All Stars 3.

Duckworth came out after an injury ended his Olympic aspirations and put his life into perspective. "When you lose your ability to run or walk, let alone bathe yourself, you really look at the importance of things and put things in perspective," Duckworth told the Windy City Times in 2006 when he was competing in the Gay Games, as his season of The Real World was also airing. "That’s when I realized I didn’t want to keep everything bottled up. Life is too short. The accident helped put things in perspective and I just knew I had to put everything in perspective, that I had to be out."

His death comes nearly two weeks after he appeared in The Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis on July 31, alongside fellow MTV stars Rachel Robinson, Tina Barta, Mark Long, and Brad Fiorenza.

"The Challenge community is gutted to hear of Tyler Duckworth’s remarkably untimely passing," The Challenge showrunner Justin Booth said in a statement to Variety. "The young man who first came into our universe as a comical and sensitive personality developed into a force who would become a two-time champion, and he will be sorely missed. We are devastated, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace, young man."

Barta, who competed with Duckworth many times over the years, posted a video on Instagram of the two together with a caption sharing her sadness at his passing.

"It’s hard to find the right words when someone who was part of such a meaningful chapter of your life is suddenly gone," she wrote. "We shared an experience that very few people will ever fully understand, and somewhere along the way, it became more than a show or an adventure. It became friendship. It became history. It became family. How blessed am I to be surprised by your visit to Challengemania where I got to hug and kiss you one last time. We didn’t want to leave each other. We never do. I love you."