Shain Gandee, a 21-year-old star of the MTV docuseries Buckwild,
was found dead in a car along with his uncle and another man in rural West
Virginia on Monday morning, according to multiple reports.
"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about
Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident," MTV said in a
statement. "We are waiting for more information but at this time, our main
concern is for the Gandee family and their friends. Our thoughts and prayers
are with them. Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that
touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."
Buckwild premiered last January and was seen as a
successor to the network's hugely popular Jersey Shore franchise, but
stirred controversy with some, including a West Virginia senator who said its
portrayal of raucous backwoods antics reinforced ugly stereotypes of rural West
Virginians. Its first season averaged three million total viewers according to
live + 3 day Nielsen data.
MTVrenewed Buckwild for a 12-episode second season in February. A
network spokesperson had no comment on the status of the show's future on
Monday.
