Sonja Christopher
, the
first
person to be voted out of the
American Survivor franchise
, died. She was
87
.
On April 27, the official
Survivor
Instagram account acknowledged Christopher's death with a post that included a photo of the series legend and a message written by host
Jeff Probst
.
"Sonya [sic] was one of the nicest people to ever play Survivor." "Every interaction I had with her over the years was wonderful," the host stated.
"She would always greet you with a smile on her face and joy in her heart."
Probst added, "I am honored that our paths crossed."
Liz Wilcox
, a current
castaway
, was the first to report Christopher's death on April 26. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Along with a photo of the Survivor star flashing off a signature ukulele (her luxury item on the show) on FaceTime, Wilcox commented on X (previously Twitter), "Today, the legend herself Sonja Christopher of Season One passed away."
"I had the pleasure of meeting her on Christmas," she added. "She had so much tenacity and love for Survivor and what it meant to her life. I hope you are singing and playing your heart out somewhere wonderful, Sonja."
Christopher competed in the first season of the CBS reality series Survivor: Borneo in 2000. Despite growing popular with her tribe members, she slipped multiple times during the first immunity challenge, prompting her peers to vote her out.
Reflecting on her brief appearance on the show in 2020, two decades after her early departure, the historian told Entertainment Weekly, "I had mixed feelings, that's for sure."
"I got pretty battered up... "I still have bruises that won't go away," Christopher told the newspaper. "Someone once asked me if I thought I was voted out early because of my age. I answered, 'Oh, no.' And you know why? Because I had no understanding of ageism."
Christopher, who also made history as Survivor's first lesbian contestant, discussed the circumstances that drove her to audition for the show, which she appeared in three years after enduring breast cancer treatment.
"I was just recovering from breast cancer. And I had been in an 11-year relationship, and my boyfriend found solace elsewhere throughout that time of cancer," she told EW. "So I moved to a senior retirement home, and I was alone, with no attachments, because my son had grown up and was self-sufficient. I was reading the morning paper and came across an article about CBS looking for 16 Americans to cast away on a deserted island and see who could live for 39 days.
English (US) ·