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James Barker, the executive producer of the wildly popular reality dating show Love Island USA, has died in Fiji.
Barker died last week after an “unexpected medical emergency” during filming for the show’s eighth season, according to a statement from Peacock Television and ITV America.
“ITV America and Peacock will honour in Tuesday’s episode of Love Island USA series Executive Producer James Barker, who passed away last week in Fiji after suffering an unexpected medical emergency,” the networks said in a statement provided to CBC News.
“James’ unimaginable loss has been deeply felt across not just the entire ‘Love Island USA’ production, but throughout all of ITV and Peacock,” the statement continued.
“He was a beloved and greatly valued member of our collective family whose kindness, talent and dedication left an indelible mark on all of us and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to James’ partner, family, friends and colleagues.”
No further cause of death was given.
Barker started working on Love Island USA in 2020 as a show producer, according to the statement, and has been executive producer for the last three seasons. He began his television career in 2011, working as a producer on shows like Counting Cars, Forged in Fire and Pawn Stars. At ITV America, he produced the Emmy-winning Queer Eye, the statement continued.
He was also a DJ, the statement noted, with a dedicated following of fans.
“After meeting his partner Adam at a show, their shared love of music was at the center of the life they built together — both at home and experiencing music all over the world.”
‘The absolute light and love of my life’
His partner, Adam Roth, told NBC News in a statement that Barker “was the absolute light and love of my life.”
“While it was not enough, I am so thankful for the time we had and the memories we made together.”
On social media, where he goes by @chaoticdj, Barker posted last week about filming the show.
“We come to Fiji for magic. We come to @loveislandusa to laugh, to cry, to care,” he wrote on Instagram.
On June 10, he posted on Threads: “I wish I was in NYC right now. Fiji is nice but nothing beats the vibes I’m seeing in my hometown.”
The show’s eighth season debuted June 2, and its first few episodes generated 824 million minutes viewed, a 74 per cent increase over Season 7, according to an NBCUniversal press release.
While Crave is offering the first five episodes of Love Island USA for free, viewers will then no longer be able to stream the entire series free on CTV platforms. Instead, they’ll need a Crave subscription. We asked Canadians how they felt about the new streaming paywall.
