Kim Johnson died. Kerry Johnson Tichi, the Survivor: Africa daughter of the former student, confirmed the news on July 29. Johnson was 79 years old.
“Our mother leaves a legacy of strength, resilience, kindness and generosity,” said Tichi People in a statement. “She wore her rose-colored glasses until the end. She was the coolest mom and grandma in the world. We will miss her forever.”
The mother of three was runner-up in the 2001 season of Survivor. Johnson finished the competition behind Ethan Zohn, who wrote a tribute to her on Instagram after her death.
“Rest in peace, Kim Johnson. It was a blessing to call you my friend and a privilege to experience the final tribal council with you,” Zohn captioned a video montage of clips from his Survivor season. “I will always have that planter’s punch in your honor!”
Survivor Host Jeff Probst also paid tribute to Johnson, calling her “a trailblazer” in his Instagram post.
“She still holds the record for the oldest woman to win an immunity challenge, earned her place in the final two and even received votes to win the game,” he wrote. “I remember, even back then, at only 56, how inspiring she was to other ‘older’ people because she showed that age was just a number and that if you were willing to risk failure, you might just surprise yourself.”
“She definitely left her mark on the game and on all of us who were fortunate enough to work on that season and tell her story,” Probst concluded his message, which was signed, “Jeff Probst and the entire Survivor & CBS team.”
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Johnson grew up in Maryland and has lived throughout the Northeast throughout her life, according to her Survivor biography. She was a retired elementary school teacher who later worked at an indoor tennis club and owned a sportswear boutique. Fluent in sign language, Johnson enjoyed exercising, camping, hiking, fishing, sailing, golfing, and horseback riding.
At the time her biography was written, Johnson had been married to her husband, Ted, for 37 years. They had three children—Wendy, Kerry, and Ted, Jr.—as well as several grandchildren.
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