“The Challenge” star Tyler Duckworth has died at 44 after he was found unresponsive inside a bathroom in North Dakota.
Local officials said the longtime MTV personality died Tuesday shortly before noon.
Authorities reportedly classified the case as an unattended death, meaning no one witnessed what happened.
The exact cause of death has not yet been revealed.
A source claimed Duckworth had recently undergone surgery, although it remains unclear whether the procedure had any connection to his sudden death.
Duckworth had made a public appearance less than two weeks earlier at a Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis on July 31, where he joined fellow MTV veterans Rachel Robinson, Tina Barta, Mark Long and Brad Fiorenza.
He later shared photos from the event on Instagram and said he was proud to represent his hometown.
“So proud to represent my hometown of Minneapolis along with these other challenge legends,” Duckworth wrote on August 2.
He also thanked fans for continuing to support the franchise, saying their stories of “courage, inspiration and joy” were humbling to hear.
Duckworth first appeared on “The Challenge” in 2006 and eventually became a two-time champion, winning “Cutthroat” in 2010 and “Rivals” in 2011.
After spending roughly a decade away from the franchise, he returned for “The Challenge: All Stars 2” in 2021 and lasted until the sixth week of competition.
Before the season premiered, Duckworth told Entertainment Weekly how excited he was to be back.
“I’m so happy to be back now. And I’m giving you guys a show this season, don’t you worry,” he said at the time.
“I gave it my all. I don’t know if this might be my last rodeo, so I’m going to give you guys a motherf—ing show.”
In recent years, Duckworth had moved from West Hollywood to North Dakota, where he was reportedly working as a middle school teacher.
Just last month, he shared a post celebrating the end of a summer school session with an early morning workout.
“Last day of summer school celebration with an early AM spin sesh,” he wrote.
He had also celebrated Pride in Minneapolis in June.
Duckworth’s death marks another heartbreaking loss for “The Challenge” community.
Michelle Parma died in 2002 after suffering injuries in a car crash. Diem Brown died from ovarian cancer in 2014, while fellow contestant Ryan Knight died that same year from an apparent accidental overdose.
Dave Mirra died in 2016 from an apparent suicide, and Danny Dias died in 2017 at 34 from what a medical examiner described as complications of chronic substance abuse.
“The Challenge” is currently airing its 42nd season on MTV and Paramount+.