Big Mike Martone has passed away. His daughter Bria posted a tribute to him on Instagram last night, announcing the news.
TLC viewers may recognize him as the dad from Unpolished.
He was married to Jennifer Martone and shared two daughters with her. Bria and Lexi Martone starred alongside their mom and grandma on the show, which ran for one season on the network.
What happened to Big Mike Martone?
At this point, details about what happened to Mike Martone aren’t readily available. Bria revealed her father passed and talked about how special he was, but did not elaborate on what happened to the reality star.
It appears that Big Mike’s passing may be unexpected because Bria mentioned that “it doesn’t feel real” that he is gone.
She praised her father for being an amazing man and grandfather. He stepped in for her fiance’s twin boys, who spend a lot of time at the Martone home.
Unfortunately, Bria Martone will marry Matt Mancuso this fall. She revealed in the post about Big Mike’s passing that he won’t be able to walk her down the aisle, something that was important to them.
When she threatened to marry Matt in Las Vegas because she felt like everyone was against their decision on Unpolished, it killed Mike to know he could miss walking her down.
Bria Martone said, in part, “There’s nothing I wanted more then for you to be by my side on my wedding day to walk me down the aisle and give me away! I know that if you could you would have done everything in your power to hold on and push through to be there but I know you couldn’t!”
Will Unpolished return to TLC?
At this point, it is unknown if Unpolished is returning to TLC for a second season. The show follows the Martone women and their salon. That, coupled with their everyday lives, was the focus of the show.
Bria and Lexi Martone were close, but the relationship with Matt Mancuso strained things for the couple. He and Bria got engaged during Season 1 of Unpolished, and now, it looks like their wedding is just a few months away.
Now, the Martone family has to say good-bye to Big Mike Martone, mourning the loss of a husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Bria said that he would be missed by many, and judging by his big personality shown on Unpolished, that isn’t shocking.