Every reality shows that we’ve watched has had a fair share of death among its cast members. The same goes for our favorite Discovery show, ‘Moonshiners.’ Here are all the cast members we’ve lost so far from the show.
Moonshiners Cast, Popcorn Sutton.
Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton sadly never got to be part of ‘Moonshiners.’ As he passed away long before the season premiered in 2011. Yes, Popcorn Sutton died on March 16, 2009, near his Parrotsville, Tennesse residence inside his car, a 1982 Ford Fairmont.
There were suspicions that he killed himself through carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 62 years at the time of his death. His dead body was discovered by his wife, who had returned home after completing some chores.
Sutton died just days before he was called to federal prison to serve his 18-years sentence. He was apprehended for managing a large-scale moonshine operation. His wife, Pam Sutton, confirmed that he probably committed suicide from the strain of his impending prison sentence.
“He couldn’t go to prison. His mind would just not accept it. … So credit the federal government for my husband being dead, I really do,” Pam Sutton blatantly told The Associated Press right after she had attended his funeral.
More About Popcorn Sutton.
While Popcorn Sutton was never physically in the show’s cast, he was always present there in spirit. It was especially his friends and students, Mark and Digger, who have used Popcorn’s techniques and recipes to make their liquor over the years.
They also went on a hunt for his hidden stash of liquor they could sell. They also enlisted the help of Popcorn’s old friend, JB Rader, once, and all three of them went to visit Sutton’s grave after they successfully produced their liquor.
Sutton was buried in the mountains around Haywood Country, North Carolina, in a private ceremony. His wife mentioned that he was buried in a pine casket he had bought beforehand. Popcorn Sutton would definitely have been the first pick for the cast of ‘Moonshiners’ had he been alive.
After all, he was already a star after appearing in the 2007 documentary ‘Hillbilly: The Real Story‘ on History Channel. Sutton also has local notoriety as one of the most famous moonshiners of modern times.
Moonshiners Cast, Lance Waldroup.
On February 25, 2021, Lance Waldroup passed away at a very untimely age of 30 years old in his Robbinsville, North Carolina home. Unfortunately, the family decided to keep many details of Lance’s death private, so we will likely never know essential information like the cause of his death.
Lance was the son of Jeff and Lynn Cape Waldroup; he and his father worked appeared together in ‘Moonshiners’ until they both left after season 7. Lance’s Waldroup informed us of the tragic life of his family as he joins his two siblings’ brother, Lamar, and sister, Lindsey Waldroup.
“We have some sad news to share with all of our friends and fans. My wife [Lynn Cape Waldroup] and I want to share with all of you the passing of our son Moonshiner Lance,” was written in Jeff and Lance’s joint Facebook page.
A rep for Moonshiners also stated, “We are saddened to hear about the loss of Lance Waldroup. An adventurous distiller who was featured alongside his father throughout the early seasons of Moonshiners, Lance was always looking to take his flavorful recipes of ‘shine to new heights.”
“He will surely be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time…” the post concluded. Lance Waldroup’s family held his memorial service on March 6, 2021. Lance was known for being a bit of a Klutz on the show but also showed off his geniuses at times.
Thankfully, these are the only deaths among the Moonshiners cast so far.