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Three members of the Putman family, known for starring in the 2017 TLC reality TV series “Meet the Putmans,” have died in a car crash, the family said in a statement shared to social media Sept. 27.
Bill “Papa” Putman, Barb “Neenee” Putman and their daughter-in-law Megan were killed in the “tragic car accident,” the family said.
“They have gone home to be with the Lord,” read the statement, which was signed off, “The Putmans.”
The family also asked for prayers for five members of the family — “Uncle Blake, Lulu, Alena, Noah and Gia” — and said they remain in the hospital.
“We ask for your continued prayers … as they recover, and for our whole family as we walk through this deep loss,” they wrote.
In the statement, the Putmans said the “entire family,” “even in this time of heartbreak, rest in knowing that God is in control.”
“Meet the Putmans” aired for one season on TLC and followed the prolific family as they shared one roof.
According to an episode description, the family consisted of Bill and Barb Putman, their four adult children and their spouses and at the start of the show, their 15 grandchildren. During the show, they lived in a six-bedroom, two-bathroom house.
After the show ended, the family maintained social media accounts under the name “Growing Up Putman.” Their YouTube channel description reads, “Bill and Barb Putman believe a strong family bond can occur only if everyone stays together — literally. The Putmans head a household where three generations live in the same 35,000 square foot house.”
The Instagram bio said before the tragedy, the family was up to 10 adults and 20 kids.
“We know Papa, Neenee and Aunt Megan are not gone forever They are alive and whole in Heaven, standing before Jesus, hearing the words we all long to hear,” the family said in their statement, before quoting the Bible verse Matthew 25:23.
Maddie Ellis is a weekend editor at TODAY Digital.
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