90 Day Fiancé alum David Murphey has died.
The reality star died at the age of 66, his family announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Dec. 18. In a lengthy caption, they explained that he died on Dec. 11 “after experiencing health issues over the last several years.”
“David was a veteran, small business owner, and software engineer,” the tribute read. “He had recently retired from the Clark County Treasurer’s office in Nevada, having also worked for H&R Block and IGT. He was also well known for his time as a cast member on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. His time on the show allowed him to connect with viewers, see the world, and share his experiences with his thousands of followers on Instagram.”
“He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and fans,” they wrote. “David has survived by his two sisters and his cat Gamera. The family asked for privacy during this difficult time.”
It concluded: “As many knew, David had a fierce love for cats. He always made an effort to adopt cats and give them a good loving home. David’s choice for adopting was from The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas. For friends and fans who want to help, we ask that you honor his memory by making a donation to The Animal Foundation in his name.”
Murphey had previously opened up about his health struggles. In March 2023, he went live on Instagram and revealed that he was not doing well.
“I’ve been ill, basically,” he said in the clip, later explaining that he was staying Las Vegas because that was where his medical insurance was.
“I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the last, almost three months, I’ve been having some problems,” he said. “They don’t know what it is. My liver’s not working right.”
Initially, Murphey shared that doctors thought he had hepatitis, but his tests came back negative.
“My gallbladder has to come out but they can’t do that because my liver’s not working,” he continued. “I’ve got something going on with my pancreas too, and my kidneys.”
Murphey appeared on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days during season 4 in 2020, where cameras followed him to Ukraine to meet his girlfriend of seven years, Lana. He had traveled to see her several times before, but it wasn’t until his fifth attempt that they finally met in person.
“Lana and I are going to dinner. I want to do something more romantic because I only have a few days left in Ukraine,” he said in a May 2020 episode. “I need to talk to Lana about getting engaged before I leave.”
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The hit TLC show saw the two get engaged, but they later broke things off. In 2022, Murphey appeared on the spinoff show 90 Day Diaries, where he explained what went wrong in the relationship.
“She thought that, ‘Well, now that we’re engaged, now you can help me do the things that you promised,’ like, get her some English lessons, actually move her into an apartment,” he said at the time, adding: “But part of my conditions for doing that was to get her off the [dating] website and she didn’t get off the websites, so I didn’t offer any of those bonuses, so four months into our engagement, we just stopped communicating.”