Sean Sasser, "Real World" reality star turned AIDS activist, died on Wednesday, according to CBS News.
Sasser died from Mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. He was 44.
He was part of the "Real World: San Francisco" cast, which aired in June of 1994. His former castmate, Judd Winick, tweeted about Sasser's death.
"Our friend Sean Sasser has died. Our love goes out to his family & husband Michael. We will miss u so much." Winick included a collage of pictures to accompany his heartfelt message.
Sasser's parter, Michael Kaplan, also shared a post on Facebook:
"With broken heart over the loss of my life mate - I share the news that Sean Franklin Sasser passed away early this evening, August 7, 2013. Having lived for 25 years with HIV, at the age of 44, Sean died after a short but difficult battle with Mesothelioma. Sasser was many things to many people - to me, he was the love of my life, my spouse, and all that is good. To others, he's been a mentor, a foster parent, a pastry chef, an activist, an artists, a care taker, a family member, a best friend, and admired colleague, a tv personality and so much more. To each and every one of us, he was something special."
In the post, Kaplan said he will be organizing a memorial service and, as per Sasser's request, have his body cremated.
Sasser gained attention while on "The Real World" for dating castmate Pedro Zamora. The two held a commitment ceremony during an episode, exchanging vows and wedding rings.
Just eight days following the ceremony, Zamora passed away after a battle with AIDS.
Since his days on reality television, Sasser worked as a pastry chef in Washington, DC. He was also working with AIDS United, an organization Kaplan runs.
