Angie Jakusz, best known as a contestant on ‘Survivor’, has died after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 40.
She died Friday in the New Orleans area, but the official cause of her death has not yet been announced, TMZ reports. A funeral service was held Wednesday afternoon in Metairie, Louisiana.
A GoFundMe page recently released in her name revealed that her squamous cell carcinoma, a rare form of colorectal cancer, has been diagnosed. As of Thursday morning, the crowd-sourcing campaign had raised $ 255 from its $ 30,000 goal.
Born Cassandra Anne Jakusz in Waukesha, Wisconsin, she later spent time in San Francisco and New York before moving permanently to New Orleans, according to her CBS bio. She works there as an artist – uses watercolor and finds objects – and bartender in the French Quarter.
Despite her very colorful tattoos, Jakusz’s survivors, “Survivor”, gave her the nickname “No Fun Angie” when she appeared on the 2005 season of the CBS reality TV pioneer, which takes place in Palau. She competed for the Ulong tribe.
Jakusz, who also co-starred in the impressive 1998 indie film “Lucinda’s Spell”, actually made some TV history of ‘Survivor’, reports The Sun. She was voted out on day 12 – making her the first contestant to lose during the reaffirmation phase in the tribal council.
Despite her young age – she was only 25 when she did the show – Jakusz quickly became a favorite of her tribesmen and viewers.
“People need to remember that in 2005 – women were not thrown on ‘Survivor’ with dreads and tattoos,” Palau’s 48 co-star Coby Archa told People “She broke the pouring barrier. Fans have so much to do with her story. And many people wanted to see her play again for her power. ”
She achieved solid performances in various team challenges, but eventually went into 13th place when she got the shot. Diehard fans later noticed her during the 10-year party of the program that aired in 2010.
“We heard from her family three years ago that she was battling cancer,” Archa said. “We raised money for her treatments. She was not in fame, but only the experience of ‘Survivor’. She comes, plays, and goes back to her life in New Orleans. She loved her life so much. ”
Jakusz is survived by her nine-year-old husband, Steven Calandra, and her parents, as well as brother, niece and nephew.
