Keith Nale, two-time Survivor contestant, dies at 62

Keith Nale, a firefighter and two-time Survivor contestant, has died at 62.

Survivor host Jeff Probst and the series’ Instagram account shared a joint statement Wednesday paying tribute to the fan-favorite player, who competed on 2014’s Survivor: San Juan del Sur and 2015’s Survivor: Cambodia.

“On behalf of the entire Survivor crew, we send our deepest condolences to the Nale family,” the statement said. “Keith was a one-of-a-kind human. Completely unique in every way. He brought endless joy and laughter to Survivor fans and to those of us who made the show with him. He was adored by so many and will be greatly missed.”

Nale’s son Wes told ET that his father died April 18 after “battling cancer for the past few months.” Nale’s brother Kevin added, “A life taken way too soon! It happened so quickly.”

Keith competed alongside Wes on Survivor: San Juan del Sur and made it all the way to the final four before being voted off the island. As Nale told EW in 2015, he outwitted, outlasted, and outplayed much of his competition with absolutely “no strategy.”

“Wesley got me in this, so I just showed up for him — what the heck, try to win a million dollars,” he said. “Well, I tried to do it my way and it got me to fourth place.”

While Nale may not have gone in with a plan, his affable nature and skill in the show’s challenges made him a worthy competitor and earned him a fan following.

Two seasons after San Juan del Sur, Nale was among a collection of past players chosen in an online poll to participate in Survivor: Cambodia. He made it to day 37 before being sent home.