The world of reality television took a tragic turn when well-known, snake-handling pastor, and co-star of the show Snake Salvation, Gregory Jamie Coots, died from a snake bite on Saturday.
According to reports, emergency workers in Middlesboro, Ky., received a call indicating that a person at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church had been bitten by a snake.
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However, when paramedics arrived at the church, Coots had already left for his home, where emergency workers later examined the snake bite on his hand. Coots reportedly refused treatment or transportation to a local hospital. About an hour later, authorities returned to Coots' home and found that he had died.
"National Geographic joins his family, friends and community in mourning the loss of Pastor Jamie Coots," a spokesperson told Mashable. "In following Pastor Coots for our series Snake Salvation, we were constantly struck by his devout religious convictions despite the health and legal peril he often faced."
On Facebook, the fan page for Snake Salvation now shows a "rest in peace" banner as a number of supporters are logging on to comment on Coots death.
Early Sunday, yet another Facebook page had been set up to collect donations on behalf of the Coots family. The first message read that "Brother Jamie did not have any insurance" and listed an address where "donations for his burial and his family" could be mailed.
This was apparently Coots second brush with a dangerous snake bite as a result of his use of snakes during his preaching. In 1998, Coots suffered a snake bite that ultimately resulted in the loss of one of his fingers (see video below). In the past, Coots had repeatedly asserted that he would not seek medical attention if bitten by one of his snakes.

Around this time last year, Coots pleaded guilty to violating an exotic animals law in Tennessee after he was found with five venomous snakes during a traffic stop. Coots was given one year of probation for the violation.
Faith-based snake handling during religious services received critical attention in 1995 when a woman named Melinda Brown died from a bite from a rattlesnake during a religious service in Kentucky. Brown's husband, John Wayne "Punkin" Brown, later suffered the same fate after being bitten by a snake at a church in Alabama just three years later.
The practice of snake handling in Pentecostal churches stems from Biblical passages, including in the Gospel of Mark, which say followers who "take up serpents" will not be harmed.
"Those risks were always worth it to him and his congregants as a means to demonstrate their unwavering faith," says National Geographic's spokesperson. "We were honored to be allowed such unique access to Pastor Jamie and his congregation during the course of our show, and give context to his method of worship. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time."
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