The Love Island USA family is mourning the loss of one of its own. James Barker, who was working as an executive producer on the hit Peacock series, died in Fiji last week. He was 40 years old.
TMZ reported this morning that Barker had passed away after suffering an unexpected medical emergency while filming in Fiji for the dating show’s eighth season, which premiered earlier this month. At this time, no further details have been revealed about the cause of his death. The series will reportedly pay tribute to Barker in the Tuesday, June 16 episode.
“James’ unimaginable loss has been deeply felt across not just the entire Love Island USA production, but throughout all of ITV and Peacock,” ITV America and Peacock said in a joint statement to Deadline. “He was a beloved and greatly valued member of our collective family whose kindness, talent, and dedication left an indelible mark on all of us and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to James’ partner, family, friends, and colleagues.”
Here’s everything you need to know about James Barker and his time on Love Island USA:
Who is James Barker? All About The Love Island USA Executive Producer Who Tragically Died In Fiji
James Barker joined the Love Island USA team in 2020 as a story producer, before moving up to executive producer for the past three seasons. Before joining Love Island USA, which films in Fiji every summer, Barker worked as a story producer on shows like Pawn Stars, Queer Eye, and Cosmic Love. He was also an executive producer on Love Island Games and a consulting producer on Love Island: Beyond the Villa, per his IMDb.
When he wasn’t producing some of the biggest shows in reality television, Barker was working as a DJ and songwriter under the name Chaotic DJ, which also serves as his Instagram and Threads handle. Barker and his partner, Adam Roth, had just bought an apartment together in Brooklyn in January.
Barker’s made his final Threads post on June 11, writing, “I wish I was in NYC right now. Fiji is nice but nothing beats the vibes I’m seeing in my hometown.”
How to watch Love Island USA:
Love Island USA airs every night except for Wednesdays at 9/8c on Peacock, with Aftersun specials airing Saturdays.
Peacock currently offers two subscription types: Premium with ads and Premium Plus ad-free. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month, while Premium Plus costs $16.99/month.
You can save a bit by subscribing to one of Peacock’s annual plans, which give you 12 months for the price of 10. These cost either $109.99 with ads or $169.99 without ads.
Peacock Premium Plus is also available to subscribe to via Prime Video with a seven-day free trial that you can’t get by subscribing directly on Peacock.