Amanda Halterman announced her cousin Katie’s death on Instagram August 26
Katie Slaton, cousin of 1000-Lb. Sisters stars Tammy and Amy Slaton, has passed away at the age of 37, The U.S. Sun has confirmed.
On Tuesday morning, Amanda Halterman — Tammy and Amy’s sister — shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram, writing that she was announcing it “with a completely shattered heart and spirit.”
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Katie held a cousin’s baby in Amanda’s photo
Amanda shared a heartfelt tribute alongside a photo of herself with Katie, writing, “My little cousin went to rest at the feet of Jesus yesterday.”
She went on to describe Katie as “a force to be reckoned with, someone who gave love openly and unconditionally. She lit up every room she walked into and was not only the life of the party, but also my best friend.”
As of now, Tammy, 39, and Amy, 37, have not publicly commented on the loss, though both had shown their support for Katie during her cancer battle.
Katie is survived by her longtime partner, Natalie Gerrick Bailie. The couple had been living together in Kentucky, where the Slaton family is originally from.
COURAGEOUS FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
A GoFundMe page set up by a friend revealed that Katie was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer earlier this year.
Her girlfriend Natalie shared on Facebook that Katie began chemotherapy in January, which initially brought some positive results.
On February 19, Natalie wrote, “We are so grateful that her symptoms have started to improve.”
Natalie added, “Both our families have been incredible throughout this entire journey. We couldn’t have made it this far without you. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and support! #Katiestrong.”
Unfortunately, Katie’s condition began to decline in recent days. On August 25, Amanda reached out to family, friends, and fans, asking for continued prayers.
She wrote, “Please lift up a prayer for our family as we stand by Katie Slaton. I’m so grateful to be by your side through this fight.”
AMMY’S HEARTBREAKING LOSS
The Slaton family had already endured tragedy last year when Tammy’s husband, Caleb Willingham, passed away in July 2023 at the age of 40.
Just two months before his death, Tammy and Caleb had quietly separated.
Following the heartbreaking announcement, Tammy shared an emotional tribute: “Rest in peace, sweet angel. You will forever be missed and loved so deeply. Thank you, Caleb, for showing me true love and happiness.”
According to his autopsy, Caleb’s death was the result of complications from morbid obesity.
Tammy and Caleb first met in 2022 while both were attending a weight loss rehabilitation facility.
Katie was in a longtime relationship with her girlfriend Natalie Gerrick Bailie
Katie fished in her girlfriend Natalie’s photo
Amanda posted photos of herself FaceTiming Katie in the pas