My 600Lb Life’s Pauline Potter who was ‘world’s heaviest woman’ dies after terrifying car crash
She was 62 years old
If you’ve watched My 600Lb Life, you probably remember Pauline Potter, the outspoken California mom who once held the Guinness World Record for the world’s heaviest living woman and later stunned everyone with her huge weight-loss glow-up.
Now, people are heartbroken after her son Dillon confirmed that Pauline has sadly died, months after a terrifying car crash that changed everything.
Details around her final months are still sinking in, and people are looking back at her journey on the TLC show.
Pauline was on My 600Lb Life
Pauline first hit headlines back in 2011, when Guinness World Records confirmed her as the world’s heaviest living woman at 291.6kg (about 643lb).
Living in Sacramento with her son Dillon, she relied on a scooter to get around and needed help with everyday tasks, but still described herself as a people person who loved bingo and scrapbooking.
By the time she appeared on season three of My 600-Lb Life in 2015, her weight had climbed into the high 600s, and she was 50 years old when viewers met her in ‘Pauline’s Story’.
Her bond with Dillon was a big part of the episode, he was her full-time caregiver, but also a young man trying to have a life beyond looking after his mom.
On the show, Pauline struggled with Dr Nowzaradan’s strict 1,200-calorie diet and was openly resistant at times.
She did eventually get weight-loss surgery, but recovery was rocky. She battled pain, became dependent on painkillers and even ended up hospitalised with a burst ulcer and sepsis, a scare that nearly killed her.
That crisis became her turning point. Over the next several years, Pauline recommitted to the program, underwent skin-removal surgery and ultimately lost more than 500lb from her highest weight, with some reports noting she dropped into the low-200s and even under 200lb at one stage.
She went from Guinness record-holder to one of the biggest success stories in My 600-Lb Life history.
She tragically passed away
In January 2025, Pauline and Dillon were involved in a serious car crash that would ultimately change the course of her life.
According to Dillon, they were driving on a dark two-lane highway when their car hit a truck and trailer that had stopped in the middle of the road without lights, reported TMZ.
Their vehicle was totalled, and Pauline was left with broken ribs and other injuries that never fully settled.
Over the following months, her health spiralled.
Dillon later explained that Pauline developed severe digestive problems; doctors eventually found a blockage in her oesophagus that caused food to come back up, and she was repeatedly hospitalised while they tried different tests and procedures.
On top of that, she also contracted COVID-19, making treatment even more complicated.
Eventually, doctors told the family there was nothing more they could do. Pauline was discharged to hospice care at a relative’s home in November 2025.
A few days later, on Thanksgiving Day, she passed away at 62.
Dillon shared the news in an emotional YouTube video and later set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of her cremation.
He wrote: “This is to hopefully get some donations for cremation services for the passing of Pauline Potter. She passed away Thursday November 27th, 2025.
“Any contributions are welcome and will be greatly needed. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.”
Within hours of Dillon’s announcement, tributes from My 600-Lb Life fans flooded social media and the GoFundMe page.
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