Ashley Sawyer was yet another one of those unbelievable tales that make MTV’s Catfish show such a fascinating hit. She had spent seven years communicating with Michael Fortunato online without the two ever meeting — until Catfish came along. Now Sawyer and Fortunato are both dead. Fortunato died of a pulmonary embolism just a month after the Catfish episode featuring them went on the air. Sawyer died last week, after what police called “in all likelihood, a drug overdose,” according to CNN.
The Fortunato-Sawyer Catfish episode was one of the most rewarding for viewers. After the initial shock at seeing in the flesh what had been purely digital avatars, the couple clearly were truly fond of each other. Catfish didn’t always end with such happy results. These two very sensitive people gave a lot of pleasure to viewers by showing their courage and their true selves. The worst part about reality TV is that the reality part doesn’t stop when the cameras do.
So sad to lose both Mike & Ashley. I hope they are happy & together now where nothing can hurt them. pic.twitter.com/ETXiaTYvDt
— Nev Schulman (@NevSchulman) May 3, 2016
Ashley Sawyer from @CatfishMTV has passed away at 23: https://t.co/uLDCcLSXPi pic.twitter.com/viOCsYC2Kk
— MTV (@MTV) May 3, 2016
