Former “X Factor” star tv” target=”_blank”>Freddie Combs< in Cocoa, Fla.
Combs’ wife, Katrina Combs, told TMZ Thursday he died of kidney failure.
Combs was surrounded by friends and family at a hospital in Florida at the time of his death, according to Katrina
LATE-NIGHT HOSTS PAY TRIBUTE TO NORM MACDONALD FOLLOWING HIS DEATH: ‘THE COMEDY WORLD IS POORER’
The performer and minister, who once weighed 920 pounds, was hospitalized in 2009. But Combs worked himself down to 385 pounds through a strict exercise regimen and change in diet by the time he appeared on “X Factor” in a wheelchair.
“I have so much gratitude to be his wife for 25 years and to be his best friend,” Katrina told TMZ.
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During his unforgettable stint on “X Factor” in 2012, Combs delivered a show-stopping rendition of Bette Midler’s 1988 hit, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” for celebrity judges Simon Cowell, britney-spears” target=”_blank”>Britney Spears<.
Freddie Combs competed on ‘X Factor’ in 2012. He died on Sept. 10 of kidney failure.
(X Factor)
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It was announced in July that “X Factor,” which has launched the careers of One Direction, Leona Lewis and many others, will end after 17 years.