First Survivor Castoff Sonja Christopher Dies at 87

Sonja Christopherthe very first Survivor castoff, died on Friday, April 26, at the age of 87.

“Sonya (sic) was one of the nicest people to ever play Survivor. Every interaction I had with her over the years was wonderful,” says host Jeff Probst said in a statement posted via the show’s official Instagram account on Saturday, April 27. “She always greeted you with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. I am honored that our paths could cross.”

The account also shared a photo of Christopher, who smiled as she adjusted her hat. No cause of death has been revealed.

News of her death then broke Liz Wilcox, who is competing on season 46 of the reality series, shared a heartfelt message alongside a photo of Christopher, who competed on the first season in 2000, holding up her autographed ukulele via FaceTime. (Christopher was known for playing the ukulele.)

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“Today the legend herself, Sonja Christopher from season one, passed away,” Wilcox wrote via X on Friday. “I had the pleasure of meeting her at Christmas. She had so much courage + love for it Survivor and what the show brought into her life. I hope you sing and play with heart and soul in a beautiful place, Sonja.”

In a next message via X On Friday, Wilcox added, “No flowers, but donations can be sent to Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church (Walnut Creek, CA), the Cancer Support Community of the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Sjögren’s Foundation.”

A lot of Survivor cast members have since paid tribute to Christopher on social media. Rob Cesternino wrote via X on Friday: “She paved the way for everyone to play Survivor one day. We will always smile when we think of Sonja Christopher. RIP to a legend.”

Christopher voted out of season 1 of Survivorfilmed in Borneo, after struggling with the first challenge.

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“I had mixed feelings, that’s for sure. I got beat up pretty bad,” Christopher recalled to Entertainment Weekly in 2020 about her departure from the show. “To this day I still have bruises that won’t go away… Someone once asked me if I thought the early voting out was due to ageism. And I said, ‘Oh, no.’ And you know why, because I had no idea about age discrimination. I was always good at sports and very physically active. I just didn’t realize that to some of these people I was an old lady.

Christopher’s Survivor The performance came three years after she battled breast cancer. “I was just recovering from breast cancer treatment. And I was in an 11-year relationship and during that time my partner got comfort elsewhere from the cancer,” she told the outlet. “So I had moved into a senior community, and I was alone, no ties, my son was grown and taking care of himself. I was reading the morning paper and there was an article about CBS looking for sixteen Americans to throw on a desert island and see who could survive for 39 days.”