Dolly Martinez, known from her appearance on My 600-Lb. Life, passed away at age 30 due to congestive heart failure. She died surrounded by family at a Fort Worth hospital.
Hospitalization and Final Days
Martinez sought medical care on March 29 after experiencing illness and related complications. Doctors discovered fluid around her heart and lungs, leading to a medically induced coma and ventilator support the following day. Despite treatment, she did not recover.
Family Pays Tribute
Her half-sister and close friend, Lindsey Cooper, shared a heartfelt announcement on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my beautiful sister, Dolly,” Cooper wrote. “Dolly had the brightest personality. She could light up any room with her laughter, her kindness, and her loving spirit. She had a way of making everyone feel special, and her warmth will stay with us forever.”
Cooper added, “While our hearts are broken here, I find comfort in knowing she is now reunited with our dad in heaven. I can only imagine the joy of that reunion. Rest peacefully, Dolly. You will always be loved, always be missed, and never forgotten.”
Days earlier, on National Siblings Day, Cooper posted an urgent plea: “Today is national siblings day and it for sure was a hard one. I haven’t made any post or let many [people] know but my sister Dolly is in the hospital and is fighting for her life. At this time I ask for prayers and privacy as we as a family navigate through this hard time.”
Journey on My 600-Lb. Life
At 25 years old during her 2022 episode, Martinez weighed 593 pounds and relied on oxygen. She worked with Dr. Nowzaradan to shed weight, successfully losing 40 pounds, though she did not qualify for bariatric surgery.
Martinez openly discussed her struggles with food addiction. “Food is the only thing powerful enough to distract me from darker thoughts,” she shared. “Food is my go-to drug that takes my pain away. It’s more than just a pleasure, it’s my reason for existing.”
She explained, “I can’t wait for the first bite of something that will make me forget about all the misery of my life. Food has caused all of the things I hate about my life but it’s the only thing I’ve ever had to make me feel good.”
Childhood Roots of Struggle
Martinez traced her emotional eating to childhood. Raised by a single mother after her father left due to drug addiction, she often felt alone. “Ever since I can remember, food was just a coping thing… It just made me happy. It still does. Food just makes me happy,” she said.
“Whenever I would think of my dad, I would turn to food and I liked the feeling I had when I was eating.” Her mother, Staci Thurman, reflected on those years: “Dolly [was] always a bit different than other children. And other kids [were] harsh and cruel so I’ve always been the overprotective mother.”
Thurman noted, “Being singled out as the fat girl is quite uncomfortable.”
Post-Show Progress
After the show, Martinez updated her Instagram bio to reflect positive changes: no longer homeless, losing weight, and feeling good. She described herself as “living day by day” and expressed love for “God and Family.”
In a June 2024 post, she wrote, “I can see how much I’m losing. It’s a journey and I’m seeing my worth now.”
