‘90 Day Fiancé' star Ben Rathbun dead at 55 after cancer battle
Ben Rathbun died on Monday at his home in Greencastle, Indiana, after battling stage 4 stomach cancer, per TMZ. He was 55.
According to the outlet, the former reality star had been battling the disease since the end of 2024.
6 Ben Rathbun on the TLC series.
TLC
Rathbun appeared on Season 5 of '90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days,' from December 2021 to April 2022, with his now wife Mahogany Roca.
At the time of his episode, the divorced father of four kids from Michigan was 52 and met the Peruvian native online. Those closest to Rathbun were worried he was being catfished as Roca didn't want to answer any video calls, and there was a 30-year age gap.
Despite their fears, the couple ended up meeting in Peru and later tying the knot.
6 Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca.
TLC
'Our civil ceremony was just brilliant, I could not believe how beautiful it was,' Rathbun said in February 2024 while on '90 Day Diaries,' according to In Touch. 'But we are still planning on having a religious ceremony.'
However, Rathbun felt he still needed to 'build trust' with Roca.
'We're just going through a really difficult transition. I've gone about six months without a really good job and bills have been piling up, of course,' he revealed. 'Things are extremely tight now and I'm doing everything I can right now to pay all the bills and for my next trip to Peru.'
6 Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca get enganged.
mahogany_roca/Instagram
Before their engagement, Rathbun had run into some trouble with the law.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Rathbun was booked in 2020 for operating a vehicle while under the influence, along with driving with a suspended license.
He was sentenced to 18 months of probation in January 2021, but ended up missing a probation violation hearing in February 2022, just months before he proposed, per the outlet.
6 Ben on '90 Day Fiancé.'
TLC
The TLC star was taken into custody after the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
'This was my fault because I needed to make sure I was getting all notices, but by the time I found out, it was too late, and I missed my appointment,' Rathbun said in a statement to In Touch at the time. 'So a warrant was issued for my arrest. I immediately drove 14 hours and turned myself in to the court and spent a night in jail.'
Following news of Rathbun's death, many of his '90 Day Fiancé' co-stars shared their condolences beneath a post announcing his death on Instagram.
6 Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca from '90 Day Fiancé.'
mahogany_roca/Instagram
6 Ben and Mahogany on '90 Day Fiancé.'
mahogany_roca/Instagram
Kim Menzies commented, 'This is truly sad. He made mistakes as we all have but he is a good guy. I pray for him and his family,' while Mike Berk wrote, 'omg. 😳 this is so sad to see him or anyone die from cancer. prayers to him and his family and mahogany. #f–kcancer.'
Rounding out the sad remarks, Tyray Mollett chimed in, 'Damn this is so sad. We never know what someone is going through.'
Rathbun is survived by his four children, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Lisa, and Roca.
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