Amber Siyavus, who competed on the eighth season of CBS’s Big Brother in 2007, has died at the age of 46. She was found unresponsive at a home in Las Vegas on Friday, October 9, 2026, and was pronounced dead at 1:40 p.m. The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner confirmed her death and has listed the cause and manner of death as pending.
A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report, obtained by TMZ and published on October 27, said officers found a straw, a lighter, burnt foil and a small bag of white powder with her, along with prescription pills and four Narcan sprays in her luggage. A relative told police she had previously been in rehab. No official cause of death has been released.
Big Brother 8
Siyavus, a Nevada native, was a single mother working as a cocktail waitress when she answered a casting call for the 2007 season of Big Brother. “I did it for my family,” she told BuddyTV that year. She joined the “Late Night Crew” alliance early in the game, and her emotional moments in the house earned her the nickname “Whamber” from viewers.
During the season she and fellow houseguest Daniele Donato won a trip outside the house that turned out to be an appearance on the CBS game show Power of 10. She was evicted late in the season and finished seventh; the season was won by Dick “Evel Dick” Donato.
Tributes
Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves paid tribute on Instagram. “Rest in Peace Amber. Hard to believe but I know you are back in our eternal home with our Creator,” she wrote. “Thank you for your heart and honesty. We will remember you with love.”
Dick Donato wrote on X that he had last contacted her to offer encouragement after she left rehab, adding: “RIP Amber, your battle is over.” Siyavus’s daughter, Lexi Tomcavage, died in 2018 at the age of 18. According to the police report, Siyavus had recently been in Michigan arranging for her son to move to Las Vegas.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available 24 hours a day on 1-800-662-4357. For mental health support, call or text 988 in the US.