For viewers who remember the 2007 season, Amber was impossible to forget. She was deeply emotional throughout her time in the Big Brother house, where she frequently broke down in tears and eventually earned the nickname “Whamber.”

She spent more than 60 days in the house and finished in seventh place.

During her time on the show, she also spoke openly about her daughter, Lexi Tomcavage, and formed close friendships with fellow houseguests Dustin Erikstrup and Jameka Cameron.

Following news of her death, longtime Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves shared a clip from her 2007 interview with Amber and paid tribute to the former contestant.

Big Brother 8 personalities Jessica Hughbanks, Amber Siyavus, and Jameka Cameron arrive at the 2007 Fox Reality Channel Really Awards held at Boulevard 3 on October 2, 2007 in Hollywood, California.

Behind the reality-TV fame, however, Amber’s life included profound personal struggles and painful chapters that few viewers would have known about, according to TMZ.

In 2018, she suffered an unimaginable loss when her 18-year-old daughter, Lexi, died in Ohio in a death that was investigated as an apparent suicide. Amber had often spoken about her daughter while she was inside the Big Brother house more than a decade earlier.

Still, for many Big Brother viewers, Amber will be remembered not for her legal troubles, but for the emotional and vulnerable woman they watched on television in 2007.

She entered the house as a Las Vegas Caesars Palace server and quickly became part of the season’s “Late Night Crew.” The season was ultimately won by Dick Donato, but Amber left her own mark on the show and its fans.

TV personality Amber Siyavus arrives at the 2007 Fox Reality Channel Really Awards held at Boulevard 3 on October 2, 2007 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Fox)
Now, those fans are remembering her once again — this time with the news that her life has come to a tragic end at just 46.