'Road Rules' alum Brian Lancaster found dead in Phoenixville

Brian Lancaster, who appeared on MTV's Road Rules reality TV series in the 1990s, died in Chester County last week. He was 43.

Lancaster was found dead in his home in Phoenixville last Thursday, TMZ reports. Family members told the gossip site that they suspect heart failure could be the cause due to Lancaster's history of arrhythmia. No illegal substances were reportedly found in the home.

A Havertown native, Lancaster competed on MTV's Road Rules: Latin America in 1999. A 23-year-old Haverford High School grad, Lancaster participated in 13 missions across 15 episodes. As part of the show, he filmed in exotic locales including Costa Rica and Mexico, and took home a Volkswagen Beetle as a prize.

According to a 1999 Inquirer report, Lancaster landed his role on Road Rules after producer Mary-Ellis Bunim discovered him waiting tables as a Chinese restaurant in Denver. A student at the University of Colorado at the time, Lancaster said landing a spot on Road Rules was "pretty much like winning the lottery."

Aside from his time on Road Rules, Lancaster was a "jack of all trades" who held positions as a telecommunications project manager, a special education teacher, an advertising account manager, and a bartender, an obituary states. Privately, Lancaster enjoyed the outdoors, and is described as a "daredevil skateboarder and ferocious backyard gardener."

"A spiritual explorer, dreamy stargazer, inquisitive world traveler and barstool philosopher who enjoyed a good mind meld, Brian exceled at being a human being rather than a human doing," the obituary reads. "Constant in his soul and spirit, he would share possessions, thoughts and every part of his essence with anyone who came into his orbit."

Lancaster is survived by fiance Sarah J. Bell, parents Dennis and Carol Lancaster, godparents Ed Lancaster and Janice O'Hara, and his dog, Reagan, according to the obituary.

In lieu of flowers, the Lancaster family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, where Lancaster adopted Reagan. Private memorial services will be held Thursday.