A Survivor Favorite Shares Heartbreaking News
In 2017, Survivor castaway Jonathan Penner's wife, Stacy Title, was diagnosed with ALS after she was rear ended in a car crash, per Variety. Unfortunately, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and on Monday, January 11, Penner announced on Twitter that at 56 years old, Title has died. Title was an Oscar-nominated director, writer, and producer who made many films, but she was most known for The Bye Bye Man, in which Penner starred, and The Last Supper.
"Stacy Beth Title 2/21/64 – 1/11/21," Penner tweeted along with a vintage snapshot of his wife. The tweet immediately garnered an outpouring of support from fans and his Survivor family members.
"There was always enough food, always enough wine, always more than enough love. We are more than better now because of her life," Survivor: Worlds Apart contestant Tyler Fredrickson tweeted.
"We are so sorry @SurvivorPenner Our deepest condolences," Boston Rob Mariano wrote. "Your love for her was so clear and apparent to all."
Survivor Fiji winner Earl Cole added. "I know she will be missed, greatly."
CBS supported Penner and Title on their ALS journey
ALS, also known as Lou Gherig's Disease, is "a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord," according to the ALS Association. After Penner's Survivor: Cook Islands castmate Yul Kwon discussed Title's diagnosis on Winners at War last year, CBS saw a need for greater attention, launching Survivor: Winners at War Against ALS — a campaign that raised awareness and donations to the ALS Association.
Just two and a half years after being diagnosed, Title could no longer walk, talk, swallow, or breathe without a machine, per CBS. Her only form of communication was through her eyes, and Penner was her 24-hour caretaker. "Though Stacy has ALS and we are fighting for her life, we've been blessed with more friends and love than anyone could ask for," Penner said in a statement at the time. "And we have wonderful champions in [Kwon] and the other Winners at War. But even so, the physical, emotional, and financial hardship is overwhelming. And it's not just us, there are many other families who need both help and hope."