Rob & Big’s Christopher “Big Black” Boykin died of heart failure, TMZ reports.
According to the site, the reality star was hospitalized in Plano, Texas, for several days while doctors monitored his heart. Boykin previously had a defibrillator implanted in his chest.
Boykin’s ex-wife Shannon told TMZ that doctors tried to resuscitate Boykin for 30 minutes when his heart gave out on Tuesday, May 9. He died at 4 p.m.
“This is Shannon, Big Black’s ex-wife, I’m heartbroken to tell you of Black’s passing,” Shannon shared via his Twitter on Wednesday, May 10. “He’s everything to me and Isis and we will miss him ??.”
As previously reported, Boykin’s friend and costar Rob Dyrdek also spoke out about his death.
“My heart is broken. I don’t want to believe that this is reality,” he wrote on Instagram Tuesday night. “I am so thankful for you.”
The skateboarding pro, who opened up about their falling out in a March 2016 interview, revealed they had reconciled, sharing a photo of Boykin with his baby son Kodah.