After years of building up his name and talents as a contractor and home renovator, former DIY Network reality star and Nashville Flipped host Troy Dean Shafer unexpectedly died nearly two weeks ago. He was 38 years old at the time of his death, which was only just recently publicized.
On Sunday, April 28, Troy Shafer reportedly passed away in the home of his father, located in Erie, Pennsylvania. According to the Erie County Coroner's Office, via Variety, Shafer died in his sleep, and there were no immediately obvious causes for the sudden death.
Tim Shafer, Troy's brother, revealed to TMZ that the family was completely shocked by the circumstances, as Troy Shafer reportedly didn't have any known medical issues that would have been good indicators of what went wrong. No signs of injury, trauma or wounding were found, and an autopsy was not performed before the body was laid to rest. However, it was stated that toxicology tests were done, and the results will be available in upcoming weeks.
News outlets first got word of Troy Shafer's death from his obituary being posted online. The contractor's family had a small burial and service for Shafer, set in his hometown of Erie, in the week after his death.
The son of Timothy and Janet Shafer, Troy was born on August 16, 1980, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Having graduated from Harbor Creek High School in 1999, Shafer went on to graduate from the Penn State Behrend School of Business, and later moved down to Nashville. Guided by faith and a deep love of music, Shafer attempted to kick-start a career, sometimes singing with musician friend Billy Falcon. However, he would soon embrace his true calling in the area.
Troy Shafer put his contracting skills to work in Nashville and made a name for himself with quality renovations performed on historic homes, from the 1800s and early 1900s, located in and around the city. He got a team together and started the business Nashville Flipped.
In 2016, the DIY Network brought Troy Shafer's work to audiences around the country through the appropriately named Nashville Flipped. Along with construction managers Rob Kuskin and Sean Roberge, Troy Shafer hosted a total of 17 episodes of Nashville Flipped across two seasons, taking on some impressive jobs during that stint.
While the series doesn't appear to have ever been officially cancelled out right, the final new episode aired in July of 2017. DIY Network does still regularly air repeats of Nashville Flipped, however, so fans can still catch Troy Shafer's quality work on the small screen even though he's passed away.
A spokesperson for DIY Network, which will soon be taken over by Chip and Joanna Gaines, offered up this statement to TMZ.
The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series. We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy's family and friends during this difficult time.
For those who want to see some of Troy Shafer's work, as well as him talking about it, check out the video below.
We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Troy Shafer during this time of mourning.
