“Big Brother” houseguest Amber Siyavus, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress who competed on the CBS reality series, was found dead at her home in Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at age 46, according to the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner.
The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada confirmed her death, which became public Monday, Oct. 12. The office still listed her cause and manner of death as pending as of Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Seventh Place and a Jury Vote
Siyavus appeared on the eighth season of the show in 2007, 19 years before her death. The season sealed a cast of strangers inside a camera-covered house and filmed them around the clock as they schemed, bonded and voted one another out. Fans still trade clips of its houseguests nearly two decades later, and it ranks among the most-discussed seasons in the show’s history.
She finished in seventh place, with her ouster coming deep into the summer. Siyavus made the jury and voted for Dick “Evel Dick” Donato, the combustible houseguest who won that season, over his daughter Daniele Donato for the $500,000 prize.
Siyavus carried the nickname “Whamber” for her frequent crying. She was one of the season’s most emotionally transparent players.
She was working as a cocktail waitress at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when she was cast. Her “everywoman” backstory set her apart in a franchise increasingly stocked with aspiring entertainers. Siyavus told BuddyTV in 2007: “I did it for my family, I saw on TV a casting call down in Nevada, and I went down there and gave my two-minute video message and hoped for the best and being picked as a contestant.”
“Rest in Peace Amber,” Chen Wrote
Julie Chen, the longtime “Big Brother” host, posted a tribute on Instagram alongside a video clip of Siyavus from her time on the show. Chen thanked the former houseguest for her candor and said she would be remembered with love. “Rest in Peace Amber. Hard to believe but I know you are back in our eternal home with our Creator,” she wrote.
Donato shared his condolences in a post on X. He said the last time he was in contact with Siyavus, she had just come out of rehab for heroin, and that he reached out on Facebook with encouraging words about staying clean. He ended the post, “RIP Amber your battle is over.”
Two Guilty Pleas in 2020
Siyavus pleaded guilty in February 2020 to attempting to resist an officer with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors alleged she tried to drive away in Henderson, Nev., while a police officer was partially inside her vehicle. She received a suspended prison sentence of 19 to 48 months and up to four years of probation.
Her second case brought more legal trouble that year. She pleaded guilty in September 2020 to felony forgery involving Western Union money orders, drawing a second suspended prison sentence and up to two years of probation. She was ordered to undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations in both cases.
Siyavus was not under court supervision for either offense when she died. She was off supervision by 2023.
Her Daughter Died in 2018
Her daughter, Lexi Tomcavage, died January 8, 2018, in Ohio at age 18, in what was investigated as an apparent suicide. The county coroner’s office reported that four other teenagers from Perry Township, Ohio, had died in the previous six months.
If you need help, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside the U.S., contact the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
