Elizabeth Castravet, star of 90 Day Fiancé, is mourning the death of her father, Chuck Potthast.
The 34-year-old reality star shared an emotional tribute via Instagram on Sunday, November 23. She wrote that "two weeks ago, tragedy struck our family and left us completely heartbroken." Castravet called her father "sweet, loving, and caring," adding that the family is "trying to figure out how to move forward with our lives without him."
The Instagram post, shared jointly with husband Andrei Castravet, concluded with a plea for privacy. The family asked for respect "during this extremely difficult time."
Potthast was a familiar face to 90 Day Fiancé viewers. He appeared in multiple episodes, witnessing the ups and downs of Elizabeth and Andrei’s relationship since its debut in Season 5.
Elizabeth and Andrei, 39, first met on a dating app before seeing each other in person in Dublin. They married in 2017 and have since welcomed two children: daughter Eleanor in 2019 and son Winston in 2022.
Chuck’s relationship with Elizabeth was notable given her estrangement from most of her other family members. Andrei previously joked about Elizabeth’s family in a 2024 Us Weekly interview.
Andrei quipped, "We should put you in an escape-from-a-cult-type franchise." Elizabeth laughed off the comment, saying her family was "not that bad." The couple shared that they only spoke to Chuck and Elizabeth’s sister, Becky Potthast, for many years.
Elizabeth explained that distancing herself from certain family members led to less tension in her marriage. She stated, "We don’t argue as much anymore, for sure. They got in between us. Now, overall, we have a lot more peace at home."
She elaborated on the reasons for the distance, describing a "toxic" environment. Elizabeth said, "Everyone would gather and talk about my decisions. It got to a point where it was too toxic." She found a different perspective on life after stepping away from that dynamic.
Andrei supported the decision to distance themselves. He noted, "You’re not going to sacrifice your life. You have to think about yourself too."
While Elizabeth recognized her relatives were doing her a "disservice," she once considered future reconciliation. However, she expressed doubt, questioning if people truly change.
Andrei shared a firm belief that her family would "never change." He affirmed, "People won’t change. I don’t accept that kind of toxicity in my relationship."