A legendary fixture from The Real Housewives of Atlanta has died. Lee Najjar, also known as Big Poppa, has passed away at the age of 68. He may not have had an on-screen presence on Bravo, but his name definitely became famous on the show because of how he helped bankroll Kim Zolciak’s life. Some would even venture to call him her sugar daddy.
The man who helped finance Kim Zolciak’s earlier life has died
TMZ confirmed the news about Lee’s death after his daughter, Katelin, shared an emotional tribute to him on social media. His cause of death remains unknown.
On RHOA, we never saw Lee’s face, and we never heard his actual name. Kim just called him Big Poppa, and honestly, that’s part of what made this storyline so iconic.
The only thing viewers knew about Big Poppa was that he helped fund Kim’s extravagant lifestyle. The rumor at the time was that he was married to another woman while dating Kim. That didn’t stop her, and Kim insisted that he was separated from his wife.
Either way, he helped bankroll the lifestyle that we saw in those early seasons of RHOA. He’s basically like an honorary OG of RHOA, and the sugar daddy storyline is something we’re seeing play out again on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island. Kim and Lee walked so Kelsey Swanson and her sugar daddy could run.
On RHOA, Kim and Lee dated on and off for several years. They split for good around 2009, but Kim said that the real estate investor would always have a piece of her heart.
“He will always be the love of my life, but it’s time for me to move on,” she said at the time.
Although RHOA fans are remembering Lee for his connection to Kim, the people who know him in real life are remembering him for his warmth and his humor. One of his daughter’s friends shared a touching tribute that illustrates that he was much more than just the RHOA sugar daddy.
“Not only was Lee a smart businessman, he was genuinely funny. I’m going to miss his one-liners and his sense of humor so much,” Katelin’s friend wrote.
She continued, “He was incredibly witty and passed that trait down to Katelin. Over the last few days, Katelin and I have been reminiscing about so many beautiful memories, and I know we’ll continue talking about him and keeping his memory alive forever.”
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs on Bravo on Sundays at 8/7c. You can stream it the next day on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF SUPPORT FOR LEE’S LOVED ONES? DO YOU THINK KIM WILL PUBLICLY COMMENT ON LEE’S PASSING?
