Biggest Loser Damien Gurganious dead at 38 due to ITP

The Biggest Loser alum, Damien Gurganious, passed away on Nov 24 at the age of 38 due to a sudden onset of a rare autoimmune disorder that caused bleeding in his brain.

Gurganious had just celebrated his birthday a week before he died.

In a statement given by his family, "He was a pillar of his family, an amazing son, brother, cousin and uncle." He was an incredible husband and father to his two-year old daughter, Giselle. He was an inspiration and a mentor to so many. His love for his family and friends was immense." According to US weekly.

Gurganious joined The Biggest Loser reality show along with his then-fiancée, Nicole Brewer Gurganious, in June 2009. They were both eliminated on the third week and later on exchanged "I do's" in August of 2009.

Nicole posted her grief on her Facebook page, "As most of you know, I never post on social media. So, it is highly ironic and deeply sad that my first true post is to inform you of the tragic loss of my beloved husband, Damien Gurganious," she wrote. "Damien suffered from the sudden onset of a rare autoimmune disorder, Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), which caused inoperable bleeding in his brain. Damien passed away on Monday, November 24, 2014."

The NBC reality show is set to air a special episode in memory of Gurganious. The special will follow right after December 11's episode and will start at 8PM EST on NBC.

The family and friends of Gurganious is setting up "The Damien Gurganious Family Fund" website to help his wife and daughter Giselle's financial stress problems as Gurganious was the main provider of the family.