Always in her heart. Jenelle Evans took to Instagram on Thursday, December 22, to pay tribute to her late 16 and Pregnant costar Valerie Fairman, who died yesterday at age 23 of an apparent overdose.
The Teen Mom 2 star, 25, posted a photo of herself and Fairman — who both appeared on season 2 of the hit MTV docuseries in 2010 — cheek to cheek and smiling during a reunion taping.
“Rest Easy Angel. 💔👼🏽,” she captioned the pic, sharing her condolences for Fairman’s loved ones — especially her 7-year-old daughter, Nevaeh. “#RIPValerie my heart is heavy and my prayers go out to your family and Nevaeh.”
Earlier in the day, Evans (who has openly spoken about her past issues with substance abuse), revealed in since-deleted tweets that she had talked to Fairman in recent months, and encouraged the reality TV alum to remain sober.
“Oh my god. 😢 I just spoke to her a couple months ago and told her I’m proud of her and looks like she’s doing good. 💔,” the pregnant North Carolina resident — who is expecting her third child, her first with boyfriend David Eason — wrote. “This really upsets me. … I told her to stay on track. 😞💔”
As previously reported, Fairman’s mother told TMZ that her daughter was at a friend’s house in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, December 21, and refused to come out of the bathroom. Her pal eventually broke down the door and discovered the young mom unresponsive. Though her official cause of death is yet to be determined, TMZ reports that it appeared to be a fatal overdose. Fairman’s daughter is currently staying with her grandmother.
Farrah Abraham, who appeared on season 1 of 16 and Pregnant and now stars on Teen Mom OG, also honored Fairman with a touching Instagram post.
“I feel so heartfelt with sadness of the struggles Valerie was going through I deeply am saddened by this tragedy and I wish that others around Valerie could have helped her and I pray nothing but protection, love and peace to her daughter through this very confusing holiday time,” the My Teenage Dream Ended author, 25, wrote alongside a screenshot of an article about Fairman’s passing. “Only 23 we lost a very beautiful young mom with the world ahead of her. Surround yourself with others who will truly care and be a great influence. Be careful.”
Prior to her death, Fairman struggled with addiction and repeatedly found herself in trouble with the law. She was arrested in 2015 on prostitution charges in Delaware, and just one week before her death, she was arrested for resisting arrest and giving false identification to police.
