“God bless you for loving my Ty-Guy,” Joni Duckworth says in a statement to her late son’s fans
Credit: Tyler Duckworth/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- The Challenge alum Tyler Duckworth’s mother has a message for fans of her son after his death at 44
- Joni Duckworth tells PEOPLE that Tyler has “gone on to a better place where the hurts and challenges are no longer”
- “To all of Tyler’s friends and fans — God bless you for loving my Ty-Guy,” she shares
Tyler Duckworth’s mom, Joni Duckworth, is remembering her son and thanking his fans.
After announcing his death at age 44, The Challenge winner’s mother reflects on his legacy in a message shared with PEOPLE.
“My Ty-Guy would skip to school when he was little,” Joni says. “He has now gone on to a better place where the hurts and challenges (pun intended) are no longer. Tyler found his passion in teaching and he was good at it. I understand his students loved him. He taught world history. He loved history and geography and as he had traveled the world over I am sure he brought many insights to his students.”
She adds, “To all of Tyler’s friends and fans — God bless you for loving my Ty-Guy.”
Credit: Tyler Duckworth/Instagram
Joni announced her son’s death on Facebook on Thursday, Aug. 13, writing that his cause of death had “yet to be determined.” The Grand Forks Police Department then confirmed to PEOPLE that Tyler was discovered in his bathroom after officers were dispatched to his residence around 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The investigation remains ongoing and there do not appear to be signs of foul play or a suspicious death, authorities said.
The reality star, who made his TV debut with MTV’s The Real World: Key West in 2006, competed on six seasons of The Challenge: The Duel, The Gauntlet III, Cutthroat, Rivals, All Stars 2 and All Stars 3. He finished on top in two of those seasons, Cutthroat and Rivals.
Credit: Paramount
Tyler previously shared tributes of his own to his mother, posting a message on Mother’s Day in 2023. “Wishing the best to my mother Joni! Happy Mother’s Day to a phenomenal woman,” he wrote at the time. “You’ve lifted me up so many times throughout my life, I’m grateful to have you as my mother!”
On July 31, Tyler appeared at The Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis and shared photos of himself alongside fellow The Challenge alums Rachel Robinson, Brad Fiorenza, Tina Barta and Mark Long. Scott Yager, co-host of the Challenge Mania podcast, was with Tyler at the event and shared a statement with PEOPLE.
“We are incredibly blessed to have spent some time with him just a few days ago in Minneapolis at Challenge Mania on July 31,” Yager said. “His appearance was a welcomed surprise to the crowd and cast alike that he and I coordinated just a few days prior.”
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“Like he did every day, he put a smile on everyone’s face and lit up the room with his infectious energy and incredible stories,” added Yager. “We loved him very much and he will be greatly missed by the whole Challenge fandom and community around the world. He was truly one of a kind.”
Derrick Kosinski, Challenge Mania co-host and series alum, added that Tyler was “such a bright light and incredible joy to be around.”
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