Very sad news out of Hollywood:
Katie Slaton, the cousin of 1000-Lb Sisters cast members Tammy and Amy Slaton, has passed away after a battle with stage four cancer.
She was 37 years old.
Tammy and Amy’s sister, Amanda Halterman, confirmed the development via Instagram on Tuesday morning “with a completely crushed heart and spirit,” she said.
“My little cousin went to sit at the feet of Jesus yesterday,” Amanda captioned a photo of herself with Katie.
“She was a force to be reckoned with and showed love that was accepting and given freely. She was the life of the part[y] and my best friend.”
Neither Amy nor Tammy has yet made any public remarks about this tragedy.
Both reality stars, we believe, we pretty close to their cousin, however.
Katie appeared on numerous episodes of the family’s hit TLC show 1000-Lb. Sisters… most notably when Tammy was released from rehab in Season 5.
According to what we’ve been able to gather, Katie leaves behind her longtime girlfriend, Natalie Gerrick Bailie; and the couple was based in the Slaton family’s native Kentucky.
Based on a just-published GoFundMe page, Slaton was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer earlier this year.
She began chemotherapy in January, which led to improvements, her girlfriend told friends on Facebook, as Natalie wrote on February 19:
“We are so thankful that her symptoms are improving.”
Tammy and Amy Slaton, for their part, have anchored 1000-Lb Sisters since 2020; the show recently wrapped up its seventh season, with Tammy having made headlines of late for the following reasons:
Back to Katie, however…
A few months after her aforementioned diagnosis, Katie’s illness took a turn for the worse in recent days… and Amanda asked family, friends and fans for prayers before she lost her cousin.
“Please whisper a prayer for our family as we continue to support Katie Slaton, I am so thankful to be allowed to stand by your side,” Halterman wrote on August 25.
Tammy previously said goodbye to her husband, Caleb Willingham, in July 2023. when he was died at the young age of 40 due to morbid obesity.
“Rest in peace, sweet angel. You will forever be missed and loved so much,” Tammy wrote at the time. “Thank you, Caleb, for showing me real love and happiness.”