A Las Vegas cocktail waitress and mother, who became a familiar face on television, has died.
Amber Siyavus became known during her run as a houseguest on “Big Brother.” She has died at 46, according to records from the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada. Coroner records list her date of death as Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.
Siyavus competed on the eighth season of the show in 2007, 19 years before her death.
Tributes From the Franchise
Julie Chen, the longtime “Big Brother” host, posted a tribute on Instagram alongside a video clip of Siyavus from her time on the show. “Rest in Peace Amber. Hard to believe but I know you are back in our eternal home with our Creator,” she wrote. Chen also thanked the former houseguest for her candor and said she would be remembered with love.
Dick “Evel Dick” Donato, the combustible houseguest who won that eighth season, offered condolences in a post on X. Donato said in the post that his last contact with Siyavus came when she had just come out of rehab for heroin. He reached out to her on Facebook with encouraging words about staying clean.
The show’s official account posted on X: “The Big Brother family is heartbroken by the passing of Season 8 alumni Amber Siyavus. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with her family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Legal Trouble in 2020
Siyavus faced legal trouble in February and September of 2020 on charges of resisting an officer with a dangerous weapon and felony forgery. Court records show she pleaded guilty in February 2020 to attempting to resist an officer with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors alleged she tried to drive away in Henderson, Nevada, while a police officer was partially inside her vehicle.
She pleaded guilty in September 2020 to the felony forgery charge, which involved Western Union money orders. She received suspended sentences and probation in both cases and was ordered to undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations.
Siyavus was no longer under court supervision for her 2020 convictions at the time of her death. She had completed supervision for both the resisting-an-officer and felony forgery offenses by 2023, according to court records.
From Caesars Palace to CBS
She was a cocktail waitress at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when producers cast her on the series, and she often spoke about her daughter during her time in the house. The season’s format sealed a cast of strangers inside a camera-covered house, filmed around the clock, where they schemed, bonded and voted one another out. In a franchise increasingly stocked with aspiring entertainers, that everywoman backstory set her apart.
Her ouster came deep into the summer, leaving her in seventh place. The grand prize went instead to Donato, who claimed the season’s top honor. Fans still circulate clips of its houseguests nearly two decades later, and the season remains among the most-discussed in the show’s history. Viewers who followed that summer saw in Siyavus one of its most emotionally transparent players.
Siyavus’ daughter, Lexi Tomcavage, died in January 2018 at age 18 in what was investigated as an apparent suicide. The county coroner’s office reported at the time that four other teenagers from Perry Township, Ohio, had died in the previous six months. Her daughter’s death came years after her brush with reality television fame.
Anyone in need of mental health support can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Local mental health and crisis resources are listed at dontcallthepolice.com. People outside the U.S. can find support through the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
