Wahlburgers Star Henry “Nacho” Laun Dead at 54

Henry "Nacho" Laun, who appeared on Wahlburgers and was a friend of Mark Wahlberg, died after a medical emergency on June 1.

By Kaitlin Reilly Jun 02, 2021 11:37 PMTags
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Wahlburgers star Henry "Nacho" Laun has died. He was 54. TMZ first reported the news, which was later confirmed by People

Laun, who became friends with Mark Wahlberg as a teen and appeared on the family's A&E reality series about their restaurant empire, suffered a medical emergency in May. He was found unconscious in his car at a gas station in Massachusetts, where he stopped during a road trip. He was unconscious and unresponsive, and his condition did not improve. He died on June 1 in the hospital. 

Laun, who was known for extreme eating and created the Wahlburger chain's "Nacho Burger Challenge" after he consumed multiple cheeseburgers in less than 10 minutes, also appeared in several movies alongside Mark. He portrayed a boxing trainer in the 2010 film The Fighter and a bar patron in 2012's Ted

According to his IMDb, he was next slated to appear in the film JFK Jr., where he was to play a chauffeur. Laun was also working on a TV series called Nacho Extreme Texas

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Laun's attorney James Neyman told People of the late reality TV star, "He was a very likable character and wherever we went, he was constantly recognized. Wherever we went, maybe it's because we were in Boston, someone would say 'Hey are you Nacho? Is that Nacho?' He never experienced anything like it. It was almost like a phenomenon."

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Laun died less than a year after his mother, Emilce Laun, Neyman confirmed. 

"He took her passing hard as is understandable," said the lawyer. "Regrettably he has passed roughly a year later."

This is not the only person close to the Wahlberg family who has passed away recently. Alma Wahlberg, Mark's mother and the namesake of the Massachusetts restaurant Alma Nova, died after a battle with dementia earlier this year. 

Thus far, Mark nor his brother Donnie Wahlberg have commented on Laun's passing.