‘Extreme Weight Loss’ Star Brandi Mallory Was ‘Full of Life’ in Days Before Death
Brandi Mallory, the former Extreme Weight Loss star who suddenly died at 40 years old earlier this month, was laid to rest on Monday, November 20, and one of her friends is now opening up about how the death impacted her.
Makeup artist Eva Jane spoke to People about Mallory’s death and how it’s been hard on the makeup artist community in Atlanta, where Mallory worked. But rather than being down, Jane tried to remember her friend as the positive, shining light she was.
“I was just so impressed with her as a person because she was so positive, just an eternal optimist,” Jane said. “I don’t want to speak in clichés, like she lit up the room — but she did. She didn’t complain or find fault in anyone or anything.”
She continued, “She was full of life, always looking for a way to make the atmosphere and environment around her so much better and to encourage everybody around her. She had a very big personality. She was electric.”
Mallory was found dead on Thursday, November 9, the morning after she was seen purchasing food from a Chipotle in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Surveillance footage showed the ex-reality star arriving at the lot around 5:53 PM on November 8 and entering the restaurant. She then returned to her vehicle but never left.
Family and friends gathered at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Atlanta last Monday to say farewell and celebrate Mallory’s life and impact on the community. The funeral was streamed live on YouTube (watch below).
“It was very much a celebration of her life,” Jane said of the funeral, adding there were a lot of tears but also lots of laughs as friends and family shared personal stories about Mallory.
“She truly was, ‘What you see is what you get,'” Jane added. “She was pure. With some people, it’s all about PR and marketing designed to show someone in their best light, but she was genuinely herself. When someone like Brandi passes, it really does make it harder to grasp and understand. You think, ‘Why would someone so amazing be called to go home?'”
Fans got to know Mallory on a 2014 episode of the ABC reality series Extreme Weight Loss, which chronicled her weight loss journey and saw her compete in a Half Ironman, which included biking, swimming, and running, in less than eight hours.
“We knew each other professionally, so it was a privilege to meet the friends and family she had touched, and all the people who admired her,” Jane stated. “It might be hard for some people to believe she was that genuine and pure of heart and spirit, but she was.”
