Dolly Martinez, whose raw, unflinching honesty about food addiction and mental health made her one of the most memorable personalities from TLC’s “My 600-lb Life,” has died at age 30. She leaves behind family members who remember her warmth and an audience who saw their own struggles reflected in her story.
Martinez’s half-sister, Lindsey Cooper, announced the death in a Facebook post on Saturday, April 11. According to E! News, Martinez’s mother, Staci Thurman, confirmed to TMZ that her daughter died of congestive heart failure at a Fort Worth hospital. Thurman described Cooper as Martinez’s best friend.
Cooper paid tribute to her sister in an emotional post, describing her as someone with “the brightest personality” who “could light up any room with her laughter, her kindness, and her loving spirit.”
Martinez had been hospitalized on March 29 with fluid on her heart and lungs. Doctors placed her in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator, but she never regained consciousness. She died surrounded by friends and family who had gathered during her final days.
Cooper wrote that she finds comfort believing her sister has been reunited with their father in heaven, adding: “Rest peacefully, Dolly. You will always be loved, always be missed, and never forgotten.”
In the wake of Martinez’s death, Cooper pushed back against online critics who attacked the family. “She was my sister first,” Cooper wrote on Facebook. “She deserves peace, and she deserves kindness.”
Martinez appeared on Season 10 of “My 600-lb Life” in 2022, when she was 25 years old. The medical docuseries chronicles the weight-loss journeys of morbidly obese individuals as they work with Houston bariatric surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan—often called Dr. Now—to transform their lives.
At the start of her episode, Martinez weighed 593 pounds and relied on supplemental oxygen to breathe. She needed assistance with basic daily activities. To work with Dr. Nowzaradan and potentially qualify for weight-loss surgery, she relocated from Fort Worth to Houston.
What made Martinez’s episode stand out was her willingness to expose the psychological roots of her food addiction. She opened up about a traumatic childhood marked by her father’s drug addiction and her own diagnoses as a child with attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and bipolar disorder. She described feeling isolated and stigmatized at school because of her mental health issues, which deepened her dependence on food.
“The only thing powerful enough to distract me from darker thoughts is food,” Martinez said during her episode. “Food is my go-to drug that takes my pain away.”
She revealed that by age 7, she already weighed 120 pounds. On the show, she also attributed much of her recent weight gain to her estranged husband, who she said influenced her excessive eating habits.
Despite her determination, Martinez lost approximately 40 pounds during filming but was ultimately not approved for bariatric surgery. In the years that followed, she shared glimpses of progress on social media. Her Instagram bio noted she was no longer homeless and was “losing weight and feeling good.” In June 2024, she posted: “I can see how much I’m losing. It’s a journey and I’m seeing my worth now.”
Martinez is among more than two dozen people featured on “My 600-lb Life” who have since died. The series has seen several participants pass away over the years, often due to long-term damage caused by severe obesity. Recent losses include Latonya Pottain in 2025 and Pauline Potter that same year, as well as earlier deaths including Gina Krasley, Sean Milliken, and James King.
In the days following Martinez’s death, friends flooded social media with tributes celebrating her warmth. One friend described her as “so nice and loving to us. Always uplifting.” Another called her “truly an amazing woman.”
Martinez’s candid discussions of mental health and its connection to eating disorders resonated with viewers who saw their own battles reflected in her story. She never shied away from the complex relationship between trauma, mental illness, and food addiction—making her one of the most impactful participants in the show’s history.
For those struggling with eating disorders, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders provides a helpline staffed by licensed therapists, available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 866-662-1235. For 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.