Tyler Duckworth’s mom, Joni Duckworth, paid tribute to “The Challenge” star after his sudden death at 44.
“My Ty-Guy would skip to school when he was little. He has now gone on to a better place where the hurts and challenges (pun intended) are no longer,” Joni shared in a statement to People Friday.
“Tyler found his passion in teaching and he was good at it. I understand his students loved him. He taught world history. He loved history and geography and as he had traveled the world over I am sure he brought many insights to his students.”
She concluded, “To all of Tyler’s friends and fans — God bless you for loving my Ty-Guy.”
Joni confirmed the reality star’s death in a Facebook post Thursday.
“My son, Tyler, passed away earlier this week. Cause of death has yet to be determined,” she wrote. “I will post on Facebook about services as soon as his dad and I figure it out.”
That same day, People reported that Tyler’s body was found in the overflowing bathtub of his North Dakota apartment on Tuesday.
Prior to making the devastating discovery, the Grand Forks Police Department told the outlet that they had received a report from downstairs neighbors complaining of water coming through the ceiling.
When responding officers arrived on the scene at roughly 11:45 a.m., they determined that the water coming through the ceiling was coming from Tyler’s bathtub, where he was found unresponsive.
Police said it was unclear how long he had been deceased but that he was seen the day before.
They also noted that there did not appear to be any signs of foul play or a suspicious death and that his cause of death is “pending the results of an autopsy.”
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Officials told the US Sun that the case has been classified as an unattended death, meaning there were no witnesses on the scene.
Additionally, a source claimed to the outlet that Tyler had recently undergone surgery, though it’s unclear whether the alleged medical procedure was related to his sudden death.
Tyler appeared on six seasons of “The Challenge” and won twice — in 2010’s “Cutthroat” and 2011’s “Rivals.”
He originally appeared on “The Real World: Key West,” which aired in 2006.
Tyler’s last public appearance was on July 31 when he joined fellow “Challenge” nation members Tina Barta, Brad Fiorenza, Rachel Robinson, Paulie Calafiore and Mark Long for a Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“@challengemaniapodcast always knows how to bring the BEST of the BEST together!!” the former personal trainer captioned an Instagram photo from the event.
“So proud to represent my hometown of Minneapolis along with these other challenge legends. The fans are what keep us coming out! Hearing your stories of courage, inspiration & joy that you’ve got being a fan of the franchise is humbling each and every time.”
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