Mandisa Died of Class III Obesity: What Black Women Should Know

Jason Kempin/Getty Images Grammy Award-winning singer and American Idol alum Mandisa died from complications associated with class III obesity. The 47-year-old was found deceased by friends in her Franklin, Tennessee home on April 18, with her death being classified as natural, according to an autopsy report obtained by People. Understanding Death Due to Obesity Obesity itself is rarely listed as the direct cause of death on a death certificate. However, Dr. Katherine Saunders, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of Intellihealth, explains to Yahoo Life that “weight-related health complications” from this chronic disease are associated with “very significant morbidity and mortality.” The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a higher-than-optimal body mass index (BMI) led to an estimated five million deaths from noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders in 2019. Dr. Saunders points out that severe health complications from obesity can also include heart attack, heart failure, sudden cardiac death, stroke, and pulmonary embolism. While the specifics of Mandisa’s health at the time of her death are unclear, the autopsy report indicates that these complications were likely related to her weight. What is Class III...