'1000-Lb. Sister' Tammy Slaton confirms death of husband Caleb

After months of speculation about the state of the couple's relationship, in a heartbreaking update, '1000-Lb Sisters' star Tammy Slaton has confirmed that her husband, Caleb Willingham, has sadly passed away at the age of 40.

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram

PEOPLE magazine received an exclusive statement from Slaton, age 36, expressing her sorrow over the loss: "I am devastated to share the news of my husband's passing. He was my best friend, and I loved him dearly."

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram

Slaton went on to tell PEOPLE that Caleb had been her guardian angel since they first met, saying, "When I met Caleb, he became my guardian angel, and now he really is watching over me. Our families appreciate everyone's sympathy and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

On July 2nd, Tammy shared a photo of herself and Caleb hugging on her Instagram page with the caption, "Rip sweet angel you will forever be missed and loved so much thank you Caleb for showing me real love and happiness."

While Tammy has not publicly said why Caleb died or when, according to comments made by Caleb's family and friends on social media, it seems that he passed away on June 30th.

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The rumor mill had been working overtime for month when it comes to Tammy and Caleb's relationship status.

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According to In Touch, Tammy's fans on Tik Tok became suspicious that the couple had broken up in April when Tammy changed her surname back to Slaton on the platform before it was listed as Willingham.

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram

To add fuel to the fire, In Touch also claims to have read a Facebook post on Caleb's private page that read: “If you were here only for my wife, then please delete me now. We are married by paper only right now. Her decision not mine."

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Regardless, they were nothing more than rumors and Tammy seems greatly saddened by the loss of her late husband Caleb.

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram

The past year has been one full of ups and downs for both of the '1000-Lb Sisters.' Tammy and Amy Slaton's lives have changed dramatically.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Amy Slaton and her sister Tammy shot to fame when their reality series titled '1000-Lb Sisters,' premiered in January 2020. Their reality show follows the lives of  Slaton sisters on their journey to lose enough weight for Bariatric surgery.

Photo: TLC

'1000-Lb Sisters' has been a massive hit with TLC viewers, and the sisters have quite a large following on social media to boot. Viewers have been fascinated by the Kentucky-based sisters' journey full of ups and downs along the way. Both Tammy and Amy's lives have changed drastically since the show first aired three years ago. Read all about it here!

According to People magazine, when the show premiered, Tammy was 32 at the time and weighed in at 605 lbs, whereas her younger sister Amy, then 31, weighed 406 lbs.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

The combined weight of the duo inspired the name of their show with the tagline that the Slaton sisters were "tipping the scales at over 1000 pounds combined," per the TLC press release.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

The big motivator for Amy to lose weight was to start a family with her husband, Michael Halterman, and her weight was causing her to have fertility struggles.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Tammy, on the other hand, was in a more dire situation. Tammy once told People in an interview, "I had a feeling that if I didn't make changes now, I wasn't going to live past 35."

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

She was so overweight that she had difficulty performing everyday tasks. In fact, she had to live with her sister Amy and her husband due to mobility and health concerns.

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Naturally, like many sisters, living in close quarters caused quite a bit of stress and more than one conflict, which was documented on the show. However, fans loved how the pair's bond was never broken, no matter what happened between them.

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The sisters worked hard to get their bodies moving and to eat right, something that was easier for younger sister Amy. Tammy struggled both to move her body and to control her eating and the results soon became obvious.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

By the end of season 1 of '1000-Lb sisters,' Amy had reached her goal weight to qualify for Bariatric surgery after going from 406 to 306 pounds.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Tammy, on the other hand, had gained weight, and this caused a bit of a rift between the sisters as Tammy felt left behind.

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Tammy not only struggled with her weight in seasons 1 and 2 of the show but also had problems with her love life.

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Tammy's boyfriend at the time, Jerry Sykes, was not only married while she was dating him, but he was also an enabler: he encouraged Tammy to eat more rather than try to gain control over her eating habits.

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Amy, on the other hand, seemed to be in wedded bliss. Not only did she have her surgery which was a success but she soon dropped quite a bit of weight.

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Amy was elated when she found out that she was pregnant months after her surgery (despite doctors warning her to wait two years!)

Despite not waiting to fall pregnant, Amy had a safe pregnancy overall and gave birth to her son Gage in November of 2020, as reported by 'In Touch.'

Photo: @amyslaton_halterman / Instagram

Sadly, Auntie Tammy was unable to meet Gage immediately when he was born, because she had contracted Covid-19.

Photo: @amyslaton_halterman / Instagram

Amy and her husband moved out and went to go live on their own with Gage. Tammy, who suffered breathing difficulties due to having had Covid-19, struggled with having to live alone, as Amy was too busy caring for Gage to help care for her sister.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Things came to a head for the duo in season 3 of '1000-Lb Sisters,' when health issues forced Tammy into rehab. When Tammy got home from rehab, she fought with both Amy and her family over her weight loss, as she felt like they did not value her hard work.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Once again, the show contrasted how Amy and Tammy's lives seemed to be heading in different directions. Amy soon announced she was expecting baby number two, whereas Tammy, in season 4, once again had severe health problems and nearly died.

Photo: TLC

However, viewers have rejoiced in seeing how Tammy's life has finally begun to take a turn for the best. During a long stint in rehab, Tammy was finally able to overcome her food addiction and lose enough weight for her Bariatric surgery.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Not only that, but Tammy Slaton also found love in rehab! According to 'In Touch,' Tammy met Caleb Willingham in November of 2021 at the rehab facility where they were both patients.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

The couple quickly became enamored with one another, and Caleb has said on the show that seeing Tammy's progress motivated him with his own weight loss. According to The Sun, in October 2022, the couple got engaged.

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Amy was less than enthusiastic about the couple's union, but that didn't stop them from taking things to the next level. On November 20, 2022, Tammy confirmed to People that she had married Caleb at Windsor Lane Rehabilitation Center in Ohio.

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"You all knew me as Tammy Slaton, but now you'll all know me as Mrs. Tammy Willingham," she said at the time. "I'm married now!" Later Tammy told People that her wedding day was 'perfect.' "There was so much love in the room," Tammy said.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Despite Amy's initial misgivings about Tammy's husband, it seems she is happy for her sister. "I'm just happy to have another brother!" Amy told E! News on February 7, 2023.

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Sadly, the marriage was cut short when Tammy's husband passed away on June 30th, leaving the reality star devastated by the loss.

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram

While Tammy's husband Caleb's death is undoubtedly a huge low point in her life this year, the reality TV star has also reached some great highs. One of the more recent ones is that now Tammy can walk on her own without a walker!

Photo: @amyslaton_halterman / Instagram

As for Amy, sadly, things in her life have gotten more complicated as of late. According to People magazine, in March of 2023, Amy and her husband, Michael Halterman, filed for divorce after four years of marriage.

Photo: @amyslaton_halterman / Instagram

The latest details of '1000-Lb Sisters' star Amy Slaton's divorce from Michael Halterman were  revealed by In Touch magazine, the first to report on the former couple's divorce proceedings after obtaining exclusive access to the divorce documents.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Sadly, we still don't know the main reason for the split, but thanks to In Touch, we know that the couple listed their separation date on legal documents as February 24 and filed for divorce on March 13, 2023, in the state of Kentucky.

Photo: Instagram@amyslaton_halterman

As the divorce was filed less than one year after the birth of her second baby Glenn, Amy is now a single mom to two young children.

Photo: @amyslaton_halterman / Instagram

The documents obtained by In Touch indicate that Michael Halterman has requested joint custody of both his sons, Gage and Glenn, along with a court-ordered parenting schedule.

Photo: Instagram@amyslaton_halterman

It seems like the end of Michael and Amy's relationship was a volatile one. According to The Sun, Amy Slaton allegedly filed an emergency protection order against her ex-husband at the end of February after a verbal disagreement got violent.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

In Touch also reported that neither Michael nor Amy is employed at the moment and that Amy has returned to live in the home she shared with Michael after having lived with her sister Tammy for a while.

Image: TLC Screenshot / YouTube

Undoubtedly, season 5 of '1000-Lb Sisters' will be promising as it will go over all the details of Amy's divorce and new life as a single mom. In addition, we'll see Tammy's stunning weight loss, which viewers have had a glimpse of thanks to her posts on Instagram.

Photo: @queentammy86 / Instagram