Moonshiners Lance Waldroup died last February.
Lance and his father Jeff both starred on the show from the second season until the seventh. Lance was one of the youngest members of the show’s cast, so it was surprising when he died.
At the time, TMZ reported that Lance’s mother found him unconscious in his bed. Graham County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home and pronounced him dead.
At the time, his family said he went outside to smoke, came back in and played video games, and then went to bed, where he never woke up.
At the time, his family said the death was unexpected.
His family set up a GoFundMe to raise money to help after his death. It raised $15,706 from fans.
Now, his cause of death has been revealed.
Moonshiners’ Lance Waldroup cause of death
TMZ reports that Lance Waldroup died from congestive heart failure.
The autopsy report also showed cardiomyopathy, which makes it hard for a heart to pump blood. The report also listed morbid obesity as a contributing factor.
Lance, 30, weighed 580 lbs.
The medical examiner also reported that the Moonshiners’ star had a history of high blood pressure.
There was prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction in his bedroom, but narcotics had nothing to do with his cause of death, according to the report.
Lance Waldroup on Moonshiners
Discovery wrote, “We are saddened to hear about the loss of Lance Waldroup, an adventurous distiller who was featured alongside his father throughout the early seasons of Moonshiners. He will be sorely missed.”
Lance was on several seasons of the show, as he and his father were bootleggers out of North Carolina. He was the youngest and one of the least experienced moonshiners on the series.
He often went to his father to help guide his decisions.
According to the family, Lance had survivor’s guilt, as his sister died when she was 11 and his brother died when he was 20. This led to addiction problems and his family said he suffered from suicidal thoughts.
His sister Lyndsey had Cystic Fibrosis and she passed away when she was 11. His brother Lamar also had Cystic Fibrosis and had to have a lung transplant. Lamar lived for 1 1/2 years with the lung transplant and passed away when he was 20.
Lance and Jeff left the Moonshiner show and Jeff went back to his other career full time. At the time of Lance’s death, Jeff was out of work due to the pandemic shutting down businesses.
Moonshiners airs on Wednesday nights on Discovery.