Sonja Christopher has died aged 87 (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)
Survivor star Sonja Christopher has died aged 87.
The music contestant rose to fame on the first ever series in 2000, which was filmed in Pulau Tiga, Malaysia.
She became the first contestant to get voted off the island, on day three, while Richard Hatch went on to become the Sole Survivor, and would return to the franchise for various spin-offs.
Fellow Survivor star Liz Wilcox, who stars in the 46th season in Fiji which is currently airing, announced Christopher’s death on X.
She wrote: ‘Today, the legend herself Sonja Christopher of Season One passed away.
‘I had the pleasure of meeting her on Christmas.
‘She had so much spunk + love for Survivor and what the show brought to her life.
She appeared on the first ever season of Survivor (Picture: Acey Harper/Getty Images)
‘I hope you’re singing + playing your heart out somewhere beautiful, Sonja.’
Viewers and fans paid tributes in the comments, with Christian writing: ‘So glad that you had the opportunity to meet her! Rest in peace to a legend. I think it’s safe to say Sonja Christopher will never be forgotten.’
Liz replied: ‘She really was! We talked a lot about how things have changed and she had so many questions. She said she was excited to see season 46 and she never missed an episode.’
‘Very bittersweet. I’m glad you had that opportunity,’ @TallyTheVote said, while @stadbabby wrote: ‘oh my heart 🙁 rip to a legend.’
‘nooo 🙁 rest in peace to a massive survivor legend,’ Chase said, as Chrissa wrote: ‘aw RIP to her a true legend from what i’ve seen and heard.’
Fans have paid tribute to the star (Picture: CBS via Getty Images)
Richard Hatch (L) became the Sole Survivor after Christopher was the first to be voted out (Picture:CBS via Getty Images)
In a separate post, Liz added that the family have asked for no flowers, but donations to be sent to Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church (Walnut Creek, CA), the Cancer Support Community of the San Francisco Bay Area, or the Sjogren’s Foundation.
The cause of death or date has not been confirmed.
In 2020, two decades after appearing on the show, Christopher gave an interview with Entertainment Tonight recalling her time on the show and afterwards.
She said: ‘If somebody recognizes me—which is nothing like it used to be—and asks, “Weren’t you on Survivor?”, I’ll say “Yes, I have the dubious distinction of being the first person ever voted off Survivor.” Now, how many people can say that? I think it’s pretty funny.’
In a 2020 interview, Christopher spoke about her experience on the show (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
Talking about her application, she added: ‘I was newly recovering from breast cancer treatment. And I had been in a 11-year relationship and my partner got consolation elsewhere during that time of the cancer.
‘So I had moved to a senior retirement community, and I was by myself, no ties, my son was grown and taking care of himself. I was reading the morning paper, and it said something in an article about CBS looking for 16 Americans to cast away on a deserted island and see who could survive for 39 days.
‘Well, I had always wanted to see if I could survive using only my hands and my wits.’
Of her experience on the brutal reality series, she added: ‘I’m so fortunate to have had it. And I’ve learned lessons about how to treat it, regard it, live with it, and go with the flow. The whole thing was so fortuitous.’
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