'Love on the Spectrum's Pari Kim Shared That Her Mom Has Died at 61 Years Old
"It's difficult to keep chugging along when your guardian locomotive reaches the end of the line."
Published May 15 2026, 10:30 a.m. ET
When Pari Kim was introduced in Season 3 of Love on the Spectrum, her love for trains, the color purple, and her mom, Esme, were big parts of her personality. At the time, she also shared that her mom was sick and battling cancer. But when Pari announced on Instagram in May 2026 that her mom had died, her fans and supporters wanted to know the cause of death.
Pari didn't return to the Netflix series for its fourth season. She began dating Tina Zhu Xi Caruso, though the couple later split up. Pari's fans continued to follow her story outside of the show, through social media.
And Pari did appear in the Season 4 finale to help celebrate Madison Marilla and Tyler White's engagement.
What was 'Love on the Spectrum' star Pari's mom's cause of death?
Pari explained in her one season of Love on the Spectrum that her mom was battling cancer at the time. Esme was in a few of Pari's scenes to show support for her daughter, regardless. For the most part, Esme showed up to be there for Pari as she searched for love on the show. Outside of the docuseries, The U.S. Sun confirmed that Pari's mom died after her battle with stage 4 breast cancer.
"Grief and tragedy is not easy and feels very unpleasant," Pari wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the Barbie Fashionista doll that represents autism. "It feels like everything is becoming a train wreck and that there are two sides of yourself constantly fighting: the sad, lonely girl missing what was cruelly and unfairly taken from her at such a young age and the girl who has to stay strong and positive because she can't give up if she wants to keep moving forward."
She added, "It's difficult to keep chugging along when your guardian locomotive reaches the end of the line, but you have to keep going somehow even without her."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are different five-year survival rates for men and women depending on the type of cancer they have. For breast cancer, the five-year survival rate for women is 30%. In the final stage of breast cancer, there is treatment available, but at this point, cancerous cells have spread to other parts of the body.
Pari's dad died well before she appeared on 'Love on the Spectrum.'
According to People, Pari's dad, Henry Kim, died in 2020, though his cause of death was not disclosed publicly. He did, per the outlet, die unexpectedly at the age of 55. Pari wrote in her Instagram Stories about losing both parents and admitted that she "didn't expect to lose both of them so young."
'Love on the Spectrum' stars shared condolences for Pari after she announced her mom's death.
After Pari shared the post about her mom's death, her fellow Love on the Spectrum stars flooded the comments with their condolences and words of comfort.
Tyler wrote, "We're praying for you Pari, we love you."
Abbey Romeo commented, "I am so sorry, Pari. I feel so bad and want to give you and Teal a big hug." Teal is in reference to Pari's sister, who has shown support for Pari on and off the show.
Georgie Harris, who dated Connor Tomlinson on the show, added, "Pari I am sorry for your loss. Know that your LOTS family is here for you if you need anything."