Kim Johnson, ‘Survivor’ Runner-Up, Dies at 79
"It was a blessing to call you my friend and a privilege to experience the final tribal council with you," "Survivor: Africa" winner Ethan Zohn shares
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“Survivor: Africa” runner-up Kim Johnson has died at the age of 79, according to that season’s winner, Ethan Zohn. The “Survivor” Season 3 contestant’s family confirmed her death.
“Rest in peace Kim Johnson. It was a blessing to call you my friend and a privilege to experience the final tribal council with you,” Zohn wrote on Instagram Monday. “I will forever have that planters punch in your honor!”
While he did not publicly disclose a cause of death, the “Survivor: Winners at War” contestant did tag Stand Up to Cancer in his announcement.
Johnson starred on the third season of “Survivor” in 2001 and ultimately lost the final tribal council vote to Zohn 5-2, winning $100,000 in the process. At the age of 56 at the time of filming, she remains the oldest female finalist in the CBS reality show’s 46-season history.
Per her official CBS cast bio, Johnson was born in Cleveland and grew up in Annapolis, but called Long Island’s Oyster Bay home. She was a retired elementary school teacher, volunteered her time to help blind and deaf people, and loved to play tennis. She was also a proud grandma after having three children of her own with husband Ted — Wendy, Kerry and Teddy.
“Our mom leaves a legacy of strength, resilience, kindness and generosity. She wore her rose-colored glasses right up until the end. She was the coolest mom and grandmother in the world,” her kids shared with Entertainment Weekly. “We will miss her forever.”
Of the 697 “Survivor” contestants who’ve played since the show premiered back in 2000, 16 have now died — Angie Jakusz, Ashley Massaro, B.B. Andersen, Caleb Bankston, Clay Jordan, Cliff Robinson, Dan Kay, Dan Lembo, Jenn Lyon, Keith Nale, Ralph Kiser, Roger Sexton, Rudy Boesch, Sonja Christopher and Sunday Burquest.
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