Tyler Duckworth’s “The Challenge” co-stars came together with his family to celebrate his life and share memories of the longtime MTV personality.
Duckworth’s memorial service was held Saturday at Augustana Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His mother, Joni Duckworth, was joined by several familiar faces from his years on MTV, including Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, Jose Tapia and Tina Barta, according to the Daily Mail. Producer Ryan Smith and several of Duckworth’s longtime friends also attended.
Duckworth died on August 11 at age 44. His cause of death remains pending while authorities await autopsy and toxicology results, according to Page Six. Police have said there were no signs of foul play.
As friends and family gathered to remember him, Duckworth’s reality TV family shared messages about the impact he made on their lives.
Johnny Bananas Shares Emotional Message for Tyler Duckworth
Devenanzio shared several photos from Duckworth’s celebration of life on Instagram on August 23, including a group photo with Duckworth’s mother and other friends.
“Lights will guide you home. And I hope wherever they lead you, you know how deeply you were loved, and how much of you we’ll carry with us forever. Rest easy, brother,” Devenanzio wrote.
The service included photos highlighting different parts of Duckworth’s life and television career. He first joined MTV through “The Real World: Key West” before becoming a familiar face on “The Challenge.”
Duckworth competed on “The Duel,” “The Gauntlet III,” “Cutthroat,” “Rivals,” “All Stars 2” and “All Stars 3.”
His friend AJ also shared memories from the weekend on Instagram.
“Our first night in Fargo. We ate, drank, laughed, cried, reminisced, gambled and toasted to Tyler,” AJ wrote. “Never thought I’d be here. Tyler brought us together and we became unstoppable.”
Duckworth Reunited With ‘The Challenge’ Stars Days Earlier
Duckworth had reunited with several of his MTV co-stars less than two weeks before his passing.
On July 31, he appeared at a Challenge Mania event in Minneapolis alongside Rachel Robinson, Brad Fiorenza, Barta and Mark Long. Duckworth celebrated the reunion in an August 2 Instagram post and thanked fans for continuing to support the franchise.
“So proud to represent my hometown of Minneapolis along with these other challenge legends,” Duckworth wrote. “The fans are what keep us coming out! Hearing your stories of courage, inspiration and joy that you’ve got being a fan of the franchise is humbling each and every time.”
He ended his message on an upbeat note.
“Also, pretty sure we nailed the cast photo for the lost season of ‘The Real World: Minneapolis!’ Thank you Minneapolis! Thank you @scottofyager It was REAL!”
Tyler Duckworth’s Family Remembers His ‘Kindness, Vitality, Humor’
After moving back from Los Angeles in 2020, Duckworth taught world history and social science at Valley Middle School while pursuing a master’s degree in education.
His obituary remembered his wide range of interests and the energy he brought to them.
“He lived life at full speed whether he was swimming, studying history, socializing, working out or teaching,” the obituary stated. “He was tireless in his pursuit of excellence. His memory will be remembered and cherished for his incredible kindness, vitality, humor and the joy he brought to those around him. His legacy lives on through the lives he touched and the memories he created.”
Duckworth was also fluent in Russian and had a longtime passion for the Olympics, traveling to multiple Olympic Games over the years.
He is survived by his mother, Joni; father, Jack Duckworth; stepmother, Gwen Duckworth; brother, Jackson Duckworth; and sister-in-law, Des Duckworth.
