Sonja Christopher, the very first candidate elected outside the island on “Survivor”, died at age 87.
The show’s official Instagram page confirmed the news with a post from 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 charming. She always greeted you with a smile on her face and joy in his heart I am honored that our paths should cross,” Probst captioned a photo of Christopher.
Fox News Digital has contacted “Survivor” and CBS for additional comment. No cause of death has been shared at this time.
Sonja Christopher, the first contestant eliminated from CBS’ “Survivor,” has died at age 87. (Acey Harper/Getty Images)
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His death was first announced on Friday April 26, when several alumni of the series paid tribute to him on social networks.
Liz Wilcox, a current contestant on season 46, posted a message on X, writing: “Today the legend herself, Sonja Christopher from season one, passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Christmas. She had so much courage and love for her and what the show brought to her life. I hope you sing and play with all your heart in a beautiful place.
Christopher appeared on the very first season of “Survivor” in 2000, at the age of 63, and was known for singing and playing the ukulele to boost the morale of the tribe during his brief appearance on the show.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on the 20th anniversary of “Surivor” in 2020, Christopher recalled competing three years after surviving. breast cancer.
Christopher with the eventual winner of the first season of “Survivor”, Richard Hatch. (CBS via Getty Images)
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“I had just recovered from breast cancer treatment. And I had been in a relationship for 11 years and my partner had found comfort elsewhere during that time of cancer,” she said. told point of sale at the time.
She continued: “So I had moved to a senior retirement community, and I was alone, with no ties, my son had grown up and was taking care of himself. I was reading the morning paper, and it said something in an article on CBS that sought for 16 Americans to set sail to a desert island and see who could survive for 39 days.
When asked if she thought she was rejected due to ageism after struggling in the first challenge, Christopher admitted: “I had mixed feelings, for sure.”
376782 04: Contestant Sonja Christopher arrives for the “Survivor: The Reunion” party at CBS Studios on August 23, 2000, in Los Angeles, California. Christopher was one of 16 contestants who spent more than a month on an island to compete on the popular game show “Survivor.” (Photo by Online USA) (Online in the United States)
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She continued: “I was pretty beaten up… To this day I still have bruises that won’t go away… Someone once asked me if I thought my early exclusion was due to ageism. And I said, ‘Oh no.’ And you know why, it’s because I had no idea about ageism. I was always good at sports and very physically active. I just didn’t realize that I was, for some of it. these people, an old lady.
Regardless, Christopher stayed fan of the series, speaking in a video shared on X, then on Twitter, in 2017, that she had not missed an episode of the series in the last 17 years.
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“I recently turned 80 and plan to look back on the next 17 years of Survivor, and then I can hike to the giant tribal council in the sky. I hope they don’t write me off,” she wrote at the time.
