Robert Buchel, who appeared on the TLC show "My 600 Pound Life" has died. 
 
 The New Jersey resident, who weighed 842 pounds, was featured on Wednesday night's episode where viewers learned he suffered a heart attack during the filming of the show. 
 
 Buchel had undergone weight loss surgery and was placed on a strict diet before he died suddenly of a heart attack on Nov. 17, 2017. Fans only learned of his death last night. 
 
 "TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert. We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers," TLC told Fox News. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time." 
 
 Buchel's fiancee Kathryn said at his funeral, "I lost my best friend and the person I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." 
 
 Prior to his death, Buchel said in the episode, "To carry all this weight is physically draining, mentally, emotionally taxing," Robert said. "It's not a pain or life I’d wish on anyone because I can't do anything. I can’t do anything for anyone — especially myself so I am completely dependent on my fiancee." 
 
 The pair were due to marry next year. ||||| A participant on the TLC reality series "My 600-Lb. Life" became the first cast member to die during filming in an episode that aired Wednesday. 
 
 Robert Buchel's lifelong battle with obesity was chronicled for season six of the hit series, and viewers watched in heartbreaking detail how Buchel steadily improved by shedding more than 200 pounds before ultimately suffering a fatal heart attack in November at age 41. 
 
 "TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Robert," the network said in a statement. "We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time." 
 
 Accompanying Buchel for much of his journey was fiancée Kathryn Lemanski, who moved with her husband-to-be to Texas from New Jersey to aid as he continued his treatment. 
 
 Morbidly obese woman is star of 'My 600-Lb Life' 
 
 Buchel — whose weight ballooned to 842 pounds thanks to a lifelong food addiction — made quick progress at first, shedding 217 pounds at a Houston hospital in preparation for lymphedema removal surgery. 
 
 Once Buchel had his surgery, however, his previously unacknowledged addiction to painkillers kicked in, and he grew depressed and struggled to make progress as his body deteriorated. In a desperate bid at scoring more painkillers, he tore his surgery stitches. 
 
 Robert Buchel died while filming for TLC's “My 600-Lb. Life.” (Facebook) 
 
 Buchel was forced to leave his rehabilitation center for a long-term care facility after it became clear he was no longer trying to stay active, and shortly after, suffered a heart attack and died. 
 
 His final moment on screen ended on a hopeful note, as Buchel expressed interest in making progress for the sake of his fiancée. 
 
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 But not long after, Lemanski appeared on screen to recount their final night together, saying that Buchel told her he didn't feel well and didn't think he'd make it through the night. 
 
 "He told me, 'I don't think I'll make it through the night. I love you and I always will,'" she said. "I lost my best friend and the person I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." 
 
 A GoFundMe was launched in support of Lemanski shortly after Buchel's death in order to help her pay off debts she'd accumulated helping care for him. 
 
 Buchel was the first participant of the series to die during filming, though season one's Henry Foots died in 2013 of an illness unrelated to his weight loss surgery. 
 
 Sign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing! ||||| Robert Buchel, an 842-lb. man who had hoped to undergo life-saving weight loss surgery with the help of TLC’s My 600-Lb. Life, has died of a heart attack at the age of 41. 
 
 Buchel, 41, was the subject of Wednesday night’s episode of the reality show, and had successfully lost nearly 200 lbs. after moving with his fiancé, Kathryn Lemanski, from New Jersey to Houston. But his addiction to painkillers derailed surgeon Dr. Younan Nowzaradan’s efforts to help, and Buchel passed away on Nov. 15, 2017. 
 
 In a statement to PEOPLE, TLC said they were “deeply saddened” by his loss. 
 
 They added: “We are grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this difficult time.” 
 
 Lemanski wrote on Facebook that Buchel struggled knowing that his life wasn’t going the way he had hoped. 
 
 “Rob suffered from never realizing how good a man he was and always felt inadequate and a failure,” she wrote two days after his death. “Thank you to all of you for validating my love for him. I knew what kind of soul he had but could never convince him of how truly special he was. A person like him should never have to die this way and certainly not this young and most definitely not when his life was about to begin.” 
 
 Lemanski added that Buchel was becoming optimistic for his future after losing weight in the hospital. 
 
 “Rob had a hard life, and in the last two months he finally had hope for the life he always wanted,” she said. 
 
 A friend of Lemanski’s created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Buchel’s medical bills and funeral costs, and to help her move back to New Jersey. 
 
 “Kathryn incurred a crushing debt, between medical bills and moving expenses, only to have to pack up, turn around and move back,” they wrote. “Kathryn is one of the most selfless and giving individuals one could ever meet, she is well deserving of any help that can be offered.” ||||| I don't know how to start what is going to be the most painful facebook post I will ever write. I know this is late and I would like to apologize to everyone that I haven't been able to reach out to all of you before it was released to facebook. On Wednesday, November 15, 2017, the love of my life, my best friend, my closest confidant, Robert Buchel passed away suddenly. I wish I could say that my heart was broken or even shattered, but in reality it is just gone. My heart died along with him. Our future together died along with him. Next year we were going to be getting married in Walt Disney World and have our own Disney Fairytale Wedding. We were going to start a family. We were going to grow old together. Everything we were ever going to be can now never be. He did not deserve to go this way and this was not his time. 14 years together is not enough and although many people say it's better to love the time you have than to mourn the time you don't: no offense but screw you. Rob had a hard life and in the last 2 months he finally had hope for the life he always wanted. This was a robbery beyond words. And thanks to those of you who have reached out to me, I realize now that this robbery is more dispicable than I thought. The memories and the love that I have been seeing for him has been overwhelming. I am overjoyed at how much love he had given but also received from all of you. I am also angered beyond words that he's not here to continue to love and be loved. And even moreseo I am saddened that he died not realizing how much love you all really had for him. Rob suffered from never realizing how good a man he was and always felt inadequate and a failure. Thank you to all of you for validating my love for him. I knew what kind of soul he had but could never convince him of how truly special he was. A person like him should never have to die this way and certainly not this young and most definitely not when his life was about to begin. Arrangements have not been made yet, but his mother and I will be settling things here in Texas as we wait for his remains. Once we have him back, we will bring him home and I promise you that I will notify you when his memorial is scheduled. You all meant so much to him and I thank you all for being there. Please keep his mom and family and friends in your thoughts. This has been difficult for all of us. But most of all, please do this for me: take lessons from him. Every morning he would tell me or text me "good morning angel". Every phone call ended with "I love you." Every night he would text me or tell me "Goodnight my love." In fact the night before he passed he told me "If I don't wake up tomorrow please know that I have always loved you." Tell that person you love that you love them. The only consolation I have right now is that we were together and that his last words of peace to me were how he felt about me and how I felt about him. And when he did pass, he was not alone. I was there holding his hand. Thank you to the doctors and nurses who worked tirelessly for almost three hours to bring him back to me. Although I do not know your names, please understand your efforts will not be forgotten. I still have his phone on and his facebook is still live. I will see your messages to him and I will try to respond, You can also contact me directly as well. Thank you all for loving him.
– TLC reality show My 600-lb Life profiles the efforts of the obese to lose weight, but viewers were given heartbreaking news in this week's episode: Robert Buchel, a New Jersey man who weighed 842 pounds at the start of the episode, did not survive filming. The 41-year-old, who went on a strict diet for months and lost more than 200 pounds before surgery to lose more weight, died suddenly of a heart attack on Nov. 15 last year, People reports. Buchel, who moved from New Jersey to Texas with fiancee Kathryn Lemanski for the treatment, was addicted to painkillers and he became depressed after the surgery, at one point tearing out his stitches in a bid to be given more drugs, the New York Daily News reports. "Robert battled an addiction and lost but he never gave up," said his surgeon, Dr. Younan Nowzaraden. Buchel is the first person to have died during filming for the TLC show, which is now in its sixth season. In a Facebook post, Lemanski called the death a "robbery beyond words," saying that after a hard life, Buchel had finally started having hope for the future. "The night before he passed he told me 'If I don't wake up tomorrow please know that I have always loved you,'" she said. TLC was "deeply saddened" by the death and is "grateful to his family who were gracious enough to let us continue to share his brave story with our viewers," the network said in a statement to Fox.