James Barker, an executive producer on Love Island USA, has died while the show was filming in Fiji. He was 40.
TMZ reported that the producer died last week after an “unexpected medical emergency” during filming of season 8 of the reality series on the South Pacific island. ITV America and Peacock confirmed the news on Monday 15 June.
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Details surrounding his death remain unclear.
He will be honoured in Tuesday’s episode of the show, the statement added.
“James was the absolute light and love of my life,” Barker’s partner, Adam Roth, said in a statement to multiple news outlets.
“He brought joy and brilliance to everything he touched. James was such a champion of the community of young music artists he was able to introduce to audiences on Love Island,” Roth continued.
He shared that the couple had met at a Billie Eilish concert, “and live music was a constant in our relationship”.
“I am so proud of the work he did and that he was surrounded by such an amazing team. His loss is unimaginable,” Roth continued. “While it was not enough, I am so thankful for the time we had and the memories we made together.”
Barker had been with the reality dating show since 2020, starting out as a story producer and working his way up to executive producer, a role he held for the past three seasons.
