Sean Milliken, 408kg star of My 600-lb Life, dies aged 29 after saying he would not live past 30

A former contestant of an American weight loss reality TV show has died at the age of 29, American entertainment news sources confirmed.

Mr Sean Milliken, who starred in My 600-lb Life, died on Feb 17 after experiencing problems with his breathing.

Entertainment news outlet TMZ reported that Mr Milliken died of complications from an infection, citing his father, Matt.

"Sunday he was having problems with his breathing, they were able to resuscitate him and a short time later his heart stopped," Mr Matt Milliken said.

The late Mr Sean Milliken weighed as heavy as 900 pounds (408kg) and was on the show for only one episode in 2016, People magazine said.

Several sources, including tabloids The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mail, said that Mr Milliken had said in the episode that he knew he would not make it past his 30th birthday.

He lost over 400 pounds over the course of his weight loss journey, said TLC, the television network that airs My 600-lb Life.

TLC said in a statement on Tuesday that it was "saddened" to share Mr Milliken's passing.

"Despite the loss of his mother (in the summer of 2018), he was still continuing in his quest to live a healthier and happier life," it added.

He was already 400 pounds during his senior year of high school when he became bedridden, after suffering a debilitating leg injury, People said.

Mr Milliken said in the 2016 episode that he turned to food at a young age to cope with his tumultuous relationship with his father, USA Today reported.

"It was scary. So I would eat. And suddenly I felt a lot better... In that moment, nothing else mattered," he was quoted as saying.

People magazine also said that his death marks the third individual from My 600-lb Life to die in the last six months.

James "L.B." Bonner, 30, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound last August and Lisa Fleming died later that month at age 50, it said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.