Keith Nale, a beloved “Survivor” contestant who appeared on seasons 29 and 31 of the CBS hit reality show has died. He was 62.
His death was confirmed by his son and fellow “Survivor” contestant, Wes Nale, in a statement to ET Online.
“He passed away this afternoon,” Wes told the outlet Tuesday. “He’d been battling cancer for the past few months and we found out about it in January.”
It’s unclear what type of cancer he had, his wife, Dana, told TMZ.
Keith was one of the castaways in “Survivor: San Juan del Sur — Blood vs. Water,” which was filmed in Nicaragua in the summer of 2014 and premiered on CBS on Sept. 24 of that year.
The firefighter from Shreveport, La., who was considered by many as the season’s true underdog, managed to outlast nearly all of his younger, fitter competitors. The then-53-year-old was the 14th person voted out — during the last elimination before the finale — making it all the way to the final four.
His then-23-year-old son Wes, who also starred in that season, was the 9th contestant to be voted out.
A year later, the fan-favorite contestant returned to the 31st season of the show — “Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance” — after he was chosen in an online poll asking fans which castaway they wanted to see again.
Fellow castmate Kelley Wentworth, who was also part of seasons 29 and 31, expressed her feelings about the “devastating loss” on Twitter.
“Keith — a man with the purest heart, who brought humor into moments where it was needed most,” Wentworth tweeted Wednesday night.
” I’m grateful I had the opportunity to meet Keith & share memories together on the beaches of Nicaragua & Cambodia,” she added. “My heart is with the entire Nale family.”