Doug Blasdell
Encyclopedia
Doug Blasdell was an American trainer who appeared on Bravo's reality TV series Work Out
. He was the eldest trainer on the series.
According to an interview on AfterEllen.com, Blasdell was born at St. Joseph's hospital in Burbank
, California
. Doug attended school in Arbuckle, California, from junior high through high school. The Los Angeles native earned a business degree in 1988 at the University of Southern California
and was the first in his family to graduate from college. While at USC, Doug was a brother of Sigma Pi fraternity.
Blasdell's interest in health and fitness flourished from a young age. He grew his business as a personal trainer and became one of Hollywood, California
’s sought-after trainers and spin instructors. He carried his experience in personal fitness into the reality TV world with Bravo’s program “Work Out”.
The Douglas Blasdell Outreach Program, hosted by the Los Angeles City College Foundation (LACC), will help to support student scholarships, gay and lesbian awareness programs, HIV
education material, and other initiatives.
alongside the show's star, Jackie Warner
. Speaking to AfterElton.com around the same time, he talked about how much he enjoyed working on the Bravo show. "It's a beautiful thing because it really focuses on being gay and the gay community in general," he said. "The people they picked represent our community very well. I mean, there's drama, of course. There is in any community. But the three of us give different examples of what it is to be gay. And none of it is negative."
Blasdell sought neither celebrity nor the spotlight and was reserved about his new-found fame. He viewed his celebrity as an opportunity to market a book he had been working on, related to the early deaths of his parents and sister, as well as his time caring for his grandmother in her final days. He confided to one of his personal training clients that he wished to share those experiences with the public, with the hope that it would benefit others.
, he died unexpectedly after being rushed to the hospital. No official report has been released on the cause of death. According to reports, he was hospitalized in December and he went into a coma not long after New Year's. He had previously undergone chemotherapy
for a brain tumor, but was reportedly in remission at the time of his death.
On April 10, Bravo released the third episode into the second season of its series "Work Out." Doug was dealing with the medical situation of his ex-lover, who was undergoing kidney complications as well. He was assisting in helping him with building enough strength to undergo a kidney transplant.
The day before Doug's 44th birthday, Doug and his ex-partner of 15 years, Cheo, were working out at SkySport. In cutscenes, Doug talked about how other members of his family did not live to see 43 and that he was going to celebrate his 44th birthday, a momentous occasion for him. He prophetically states this will be the last birthday party that he will celebrate.
During his birthday party and Cheo's blood treatment, Doug was noticeably sick onscreen, coughing almost nonstop. Finally after his party, he was "M.I.A.," in a very concerned Jackie's words, because he had not come into the spa for a week and had not answered phone calls. Jackie did not realize how serious everything was until she finally got a call from Cheo saying that Doug had a very severe flu and was admitted to the hospital; Blasdell was so dehydrated that his kidneys shut down to the point where he was put into a chemically-induced coma.
Jackie announced the news of his illness to her trainers, some of whom were visibly upset and saddened by the news. Despite a past disagreement between him and fellow openly gay trainer Jesse Brune, Doug was well liked and respected by his fellow trainers and his SkySport clients, including singer Jody Watley
. Trainer Brian Peeler broke the news of Doug's death to his fellow trainers.
On February 9, 2007, Entertainment Weekly
reported kidney failure as the cause of death.
In an April Blog on BravoTv's website, Brian Peeler announced that Doug had been undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma
. Doug became ill with salmonella
poisoning after his birthday and later developed a staph infection from the shunt in his neck that would ultimately cause his liver to also shut down and contribute to his death. Brian further discusses the circumstances surrounding Doug's death in a recent interview with AfterElton.com.
A primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a primary intracranial tumor appearing mostly in patients with severe immunosuppression (typically patients with AIDS). PCNSLs represent around 20% of all cases of lymphomas in HIV infections (other types are Burkitt's lymphomas and immunoblastic lymphomas). Primary CNS lymphoma is highly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (> 90%) in immunodeficient patients (such as those with AIDS and those iatrogenically immunosuppressed
Work Out
Work Out was a reality television series on Bravo. The show was centered around Jackie Warner, owner of a gym and spa in Beverly Hills, California. It features many of the trainers who work for Warner, aspects of the gym and its clients and Jackie's other fitness ventures, and also covers aspects...
. He was the eldest trainer on the series.
Biography
Born Douglas C. Blasdell to Donald Milton "Skip" Blasdell and Deanna Lou (Savage) Blasdell. One sister, Sandra, a year older.According to an interview on AfterEllen.com, Blasdell was born at St. Joseph's hospital in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Doug attended school in Arbuckle, California, from junior high through high school. The Los Angeles native earned a business degree in 1988 at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and was the first in his family to graduate from college. While at USC, Doug was a brother of Sigma Pi fraternity.
Blasdell's interest in health and fitness flourished from a young age. He grew his business as a personal trainer and became one of Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
’s sought-after trainers and spin instructors. He carried his experience in personal fitness into the reality TV world with Bravo’s program “Work Out”.
The Douglas Blasdell Outreach Program, hosted by the Los Angeles City College Foundation (LACC), will help to support student scholarships, gay and lesbian awareness programs, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
education material, and other initiatives.
Work Out
Blasdell appeared on the July 18, 2006, cover of The AdvocateThe Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
alongside the show's star, Jackie Warner
Jackie Warner
Jackie Warner is an American fitness trainer best known for her participation in Work Out, a Bravo TV reality show. She owns Sky Sport and Spa, a gym and spa in Beverly Hills, California.- Professional life :...
. Speaking to AfterElton.com around the same time, he talked about how much he enjoyed working on the Bravo show. "It's a beautiful thing because it really focuses on being gay and the gay community in general," he said. "The people they picked represent our community very well. I mean, there's drama, of course. There is in any community. But the three of us give different examples of what it is to be gay. And none of it is negative."
Blasdell sought neither celebrity nor the spotlight and was reserved about his new-found fame. He viewed his celebrity as an opportunity to market a book he had been working on, related to the early deaths of his parents and sister, as well as his time caring for his grandmother in her final days. He confided to one of his personal training clients that he wished to share those experiences with the public, with the hope that it would benefit others.
Death
At the time of his death in 2007, Blasdell was 44 years old. According to The AdvocateThe Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, he died unexpectedly after being rushed to the hospital. No official report has been released on the cause of death. According to reports, he was hospitalized in December and he went into a coma not long after New Year's. He had previously undergone chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
for a brain tumor, but was reportedly in remission at the time of his death.
On April 10, Bravo released the third episode into the second season of its series "Work Out." Doug was dealing with the medical situation of his ex-lover, who was undergoing kidney complications as well. He was assisting in helping him with building enough strength to undergo a kidney transplant.
The day before Doug's 44th birthday, Doug and his ex-partner of 15 years, Cheo, were working out at SkySport. In cutscenes, Doug talked about how other members of his family did not live to see 43 and that he was going to celebrate his 44th birthday, a momentous occasion for him. He prophetically states this will be the last birthday party that he will celebrate.
During his birthday party and Cheo's blood treatment, Doug was noticeably sick onscreen, coughing almost nonstop. Finally after his party, he was "M.I.A.," in a very concerned Jackie's words, because he had not come into the spa for a week and had not answered phone calls. Jackie did not realize how serious everything was until she finally got a call from Cheo saying that Doug had a very severe flu and was admitted to the hospital; Blasdell was so dehydrated that his kidneys shut down to the point where he was put into a chemically-induced coma.
Jackie announced the news of his illness to her trainers, some of whom were visibly upset and saddened by the news. Despite a past disagreement between him and fellow openly gay trainer Jesse Brune, Doug was well liked and respected by his fellow trainers and his SkySport clients, including singer Jody Watley
Jody Watley
Jody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
. Trainer Brian Peeler broke the news of Doug's death to his fellow trainers.
On February 9, 2007, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported kidney failure as the cause of death.
In an April Blog on BravoTv's website, Brian Peeler announced that Doug had been undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. Doug became ill with salmonella
Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...
poisoning after his birthday and later developed a staph infection from the shunt in his neck that would ultimately cause his liver to also shut down and contribute to his death. Brian further discusses the circumstances surrounding Doug's death in a recent interview with AfterElton.com.
A primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a primary intracranial tumor appearing mostly in patients with severe immunosuppression (typically patients with AIDS). PCNSLs represent around 20% of all cases of lymphomas in HIV infections (other types are Burkitt's lymphomas and immunoblastic lymphomas). Primary CNS lymphoma is highly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection (> 90%) in immunodeficient patients (such as those with AIDS and those iatrogenically immunosuppressed