Netflix reality star Rob Pitts passes away following cancer battle
A star of Netflix’s Tex Mex Motors has passed away. Rob ‘The Rabbit’ Pitts, the reality TV personality, died of stomach cancer on August 25th, aged 45.
The star rose to notoriety in 2023 when Netflix’s new car-themed reality show hit the streaming platform. Following a series of mechanics, each episode saw them transforming old, rusted cars. The platform’s description of the show reads, “Junkers turn into jewels when they’re in the hands of these pros, who bring cars from Mexico to El Paso for radical restorations in this lively series.”
Rob Pitts was one of those pros, standing as a co-creator of the series along with his co-star, Marcos ‘Scooter’ Carrera. Together, the pair scouted old cars in Mexico and moved them to Texas for impressive makeovers.
The personality shocked fans when a video appeared on his YouTube channel titled, “This Is Goodbye (RIP 7/27/79 – 8/25/24)”. As he addressed his fans for a final time, Pitts revealed that he had been battling with stomach cancer.
“I started feeling ‘off’ after SEMA [a Las Vegas car show] last year and I was losing weight,” he explained in the text-based video to his fans, “But I was getting ready to film season 2 of TexMex Motors for Netflix and wanted to be camera ready, so I didn’t mind that so much.”
However, the weight loss quickly worsened into other symptoms. “During filming, I started to lose my appetite and had more and more acid reflux-like symptoms,” he said.
It was on the set of the second season that other people began to worry for Pitts’ health and stepped in to help him. “My castmate and ‘set mom,’ Jaime, finally took me to the ER thinking I had gallbladder issues,” Pitts wrote on the screen of the video. “It was there at the end of March I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Since then, I have been getting treatments at home, and it’s been rough. More bad days than good, but hanging in there.”
The Pitts video also had a positive message, as he said, “I have a lot to live for, and life has been going my way.” He implored his fans not to pity him, adding, “Don’t be sad for me… I accomplished my dream of buying my own store, finishing season two of Netflix, and marrying the love of my life.”
He also used his story as a cautionary tale, telling people to listen to their body and check in on their health as he concluded, “If your body is telling you something is wrong, don’t stop until you figure it out. Ask questions and get answers.”
However, while Pitts’ video ended with messages of hope, as the title suggested, this was his final goodbye to fans. His videographer confirmed his death in the comments by writing, “I am with him now in Hospice. Pitts just passed at 21:45. He will be missed, and we will never forget him!”