Angie Jakusz, better known as a competitor in “Survivor”, died after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 40 years old.
She died on Friday in the New Orleans area, but the official cause of her death has not yet been announced, TMZ reported. A funeral ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon in Metairie, Louisiana.
A GoFundMe page recently launched on her behalf revealed that she had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a rare form of colorectal cancer. On Thursday morning, the crowd-sourcing campaign raised $ 255 from its $ 30,000 target.
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 biography on CBS. She worked there as an artist – using watercolors and found objects – and bartended in the French Quarter.
Despite her numerous colorful tattoos, Jakusz’s shipwrecked companions “Survivor” gave her the nickname “No Fun Angie” when she appeared on the 2005 season of the CBS reality show, which was set in Palau. She competed for the Ulong Tribe.
Jakusz, who also co-starred in the sassy 1998 independent film “Lucinda’s Spell”, actually did a small reality TV show on “Survivor”, reported The Sun. She was eliminated on the 12th – making her the first competitor to lose during the revocation phase of the tribal council.
Despite her young age – she was only 25 when she performed the show – Jakusz quickly became the favorite of his fellow tribesmen and the public.
“People need to remember in 2005 – women were not cast for ‘Survivor’ with dreads and tattoos,” 48-year-old contestant Coby Archa told People. “She broke the casting barrier. The fans related a lot to her story. And many people wanted to see her play again to gain strength. “
She accumulated solid performances in several team challenges, but ended up qualifying in 13th place when she was kicked. Later, Diehard fans saw her at the show’s 10th anniversary party which aired in 2010.
“We heard from her family three years ago that she was battling cancer,” Archa told the channel. “We raised some money for her treatments. She didn’t like the fame, just the experience of ‘Survivor’. She came, played and went back to her life in New Orleans. She liked her life that way. “
Jakusz leaves her nine-year-old husband, Steven Calandra, and his parents, as well as brother, niece and nephew.
