90 Day Fiancé star David Murphey died at the age of 66 following years of health issues.
Murphey’s family shared the news via his Instagram on Wednesday, December 18. “We are deeply saddened to announce that David Murphey, of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away at home on December 11, 2024 after experiencing health issues over the last several years. He was 66 years old,” they wrote.
The statement noted that Murphey was a “veteran, small business owner and software engineer.” The family said Murphey had recently retired from the Clark County Treasurer’s office in Nevada, and worked for H&R Block and IGT.
“He was also well known for his time as a cast member on 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” they wrote. “His time on the show allowed him to connect with viewers, see the world, and share his experiences with his thousands of followers on Instagram. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and fans. David has survived by his two sisters and his cat Gamera. The family asked for privacy during this difficult time.”
The statement also paid tribute to Murphey’s love of cats and encouraged his followers to make a donation to The Animal Foundation in his name.
“As many knew, David had a fierce love for cats,” they wrote. “He always made an effort to adopt cats and give them a good loving home. David’s choice for adopting was from The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas. For friends and fans who want to help, we ask that you honor his memory by making a donation to The Animal Foundation in his name.”
Murphey got candid about his health battles during an Instagram live in March 2023. “I’ve been ill, basically,” he summed up at the time.
While laughing about a smoke detector that was heard chirping in the background of the video, Murphey explained that he hadn’t been in his home much. “I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the last, almost three months,” he said.
“It’s more of the same problems that I had back in November when I went in[to] the hospital and they don’t know what it is,” he said. “My liver is not working right. I think right now I’m finally getting a little bit of color back. Man, did I turn bright yellow, it was crazy. … I’ve been kind of waiting for that to go away.”
Murphey explained that his gall bladder “has to come out,” but “they don’t want to do that until they get the liver working.” He added, “I’ve had all these tests and they just can’t figure it out yet.”
Murphey claimed that the doctors thought he had “acute Hepatitis” but he didn’t have the illness at the time. He added that he has “something going on” with his pancreas and kidneys and he had two blood clots in his lungs. “They don’t know if it’s cancer yet,” he said.
Murphey was cast on season 4 of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, where he met his girlfriend Lana. The pair had been talking online for seven years after meeting on the dating app Anastasia Date. Murphey proposed to Lana in 2019 but the pair called it quits.
