Frankie Abernathy
Frankie Abernathy | |
---|---|
The Real World: San Diego | |
Born | December 21, 1981 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | June 9, 2007 , U.S. | (aged 25)
Cause of death | Cystic fibrosis |
Occupation | Purse designer |
Frankie Jo Abernathy (December 21, 1981 – June 9, 2007) was an American purse designer and reality television personality, known for her time as a cast member on MTV's
The Real World: San Diego
MTV's promotional materials described Abernathy as someone who "likes to shock people with her appearance, date bad boys, party all night and dreams of being an artist." She was known for her taste in
The first housemate Abernathy greeted was Jacquese Smith, with whom she first entered the Real World house and with whom MTV believes she may have been the closest during their stay there.[1]
Abernathy had
Abernathy left the show before the end of the season due to conflict with her roommates and the strain of separation from her boyfriend.
After The Real World
After leaving the show in early 2004, Abernathy spent her time working at numerous retail outlets in Kansas City, working tattoo conventions with the Art Intensity Network, getting more tattoos, and spending time with her loved ones. She also appeared on the cover of the May 2005 issue of Prick, a tattoo magazine.[2]
Abernathy moved to
Abernathy died June 9, 2007, in Shorewood, Wisconsin, from complications of cystic fibrosis.
Her experience on The Real World taught her about what she needed to do, and it helped other people as well. I know several people weren't aware of the cutting epidemic at the time…and I know several people wrote Frankie and thanked her. She was a different person for The Real World realm, and I think she touched a lot of people and made an impact on a lot of people's lives. That's what you want when you have a child—you hope they do that. I wish it had been in a different way, but I am proud of her, and as I said, she got a lot of personal growth out of her experience, and she was very fortunate to have had the experiences she did.
A scholarship was set up in her name at her alma mater, Blue Springs High School.[3][4]
References
- ^ a b c Harris, Chris. "Real World: San Diego Cast Says Frankie Abernathy 'Lived Every Day To The Fullest'". MTV. June 15, 2007
- ^ Liquor, Clint (May 2005)."Frankie, From MTV's Real World San Diego" Archived 2007-07-16 at the Wayback Machine. Prick.
- ^ a b Rogers, Steve; Rocchio, Christopher (June 12, 2007). "Real World: San Diego' cast member Frankie Abernathy dead at 25". realityworld.com.
- ^ a b Harris, Chris (June 12, 2007). "'Real World: San Diego' Alum Frankie Abernathy Dead At 25: Housemate's struggle with cystic fibrosis was featured on 2004 show.". MTV.
- The Huffington Post/AOL TV. March 4, 2008.