Several of Diem Brown's former fellow cast members paid tribute to their friend this week with a touching song and emotional MTV special that highlighted the late reality star's lust for life and love of dance.
Brown, who appeared on several seasons of the cable network's The Real World and Road Rules spinoff The Challenge died at age 34 on Nov. 14 after battling cancer for the third time.
Davis Mallory, who starred with her on season 17, The Duel II, released on Tuesday a moving ballad titled "Beautiful Girls (Diem's Song)" and a music video that mostly features footage of her smiling and happy, including clips of her doing what she enjoying most—dancing. According to its YouTube page, proceeds from sales of the track will go to Brown's charity, Medgift.com.
Also on Tuesday, MTV aired the special We Heart Diem, which featured footage of Brown competing on several seasons of The Challenge, sharing her feelings about her life, her fears and her cancer and interviews with fellow former cast members such as Aneesa Ferreira, Paula Meronek, Evan Starkman, Wes Bergmann, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio and Cara Maria Sorbello.
Brown was dubbed a "tireless warrior," "fierce competitor" and all-around beautiful person." Her love of dancing and partying with friends helped earn her the affectionate nickname, "Diem in the P.M."
"Diem Brown was much more than just a cast member to us here at MTV," the special states. "With her indomitable sprit, not to mention her dazzling smile, she became part of our family. Whether it was conquering her fear of heights on a Challenge episode or bravely staring down cancer, she never stopped surprising us. We know that she will be in our hearts forever. We love you and miss you, Diem."
"I live life more so now 'cause I don't know what's going to happen in the future," Brown is shown saying in a 2005 audition tape, adding that she has a bucket list of "crazy stuff" that she wants to do.
She made her debut on The Challenge in 2006, three years after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, at age 23. She suffered a recurrence in 2012 and battled colon cancer before her death.
Brown underwent chemotherapy treatments, which made her lose her hair. In 2007, during The Challenge: The Duel, she was shown taking off her wig for the first time in front of her co-stars, while several of her female colleagues wore swimming caps in solidarity. The clip, which marked one of the most emotional moments on a reality show, was shown during the MTV special.
"I think that was a very empowering moment for her," Devenanzio says.
The special also showed footage of Brown and co-star and real-life on-again, off-again boyfriend C.T. Tamburello. The two were dubbed jokingly, "Beauty and the Beast."
After she began her third cancer battle, Tamburello posted a picture of himself by her bedside at the hospital.
"You have always been My Angel," he said in an online tribute to Brown, days after she died. "And now you have your wings."
"In the day time hse was a good girl but at nighttime when the sun went down, she more than earned her nickname Diem in the PM