‘Survivor’ Contestant Dan Kay Dead at 40

Former “Survivor” contestant Dan Kay has died at the age of 40.

According to his obituary, Kay passed away “unexpectedly” on New Year's Eve. The cause of his death is currently unknown. There will be a memorial service at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory in Manchester, New Hampshire, at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 7.

Kay practiced law for five years, but quit his job before competing on the 2008 season of “Survivor.” At the time, he told People magazine, “I had my midlife crisis early. It was a big decision to change things up, but I think it'll be better for my life.”

In his intro video for the show, he spoke about how his athleticism and his intelligence could benefit him on “Survivor.” After 21 days, he was voted off by other contestants. Watch.

On Tuesday, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst mourned Dan's death, tweeting, "I just heard the very sad news about the sudden loss of Dan Kay of Survivor: Gabon. The Survivor family sends our love to Dan's family.”

Gillian Larson, one of the contestants who competed with Kay in Gabon, added on Facebook, "Terribly sad news. Dan Kay from our Survivor Season 17 Gabon died unexpectedly on Dec 31st… RIP Dan Kay My love and condolences to his family. His Survivor Family has you in their hearts.”