Were Ben Rathbun and Mahogany Roca married? What we know as pastor featured in 90 Day Fiancé dies at 55

Reality TV star Ben Rathbun, who appeared in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, passed away on Monday. Rathbun, who at the time of his death was married to Mahogany Roca, whom he had met on the show, had been battling stage four stomach cancer since last year.

Mahogany Roca and Ben Rathbun were an unlikely couple who appear on the fifth season of the popular reality TV show. According to reports from a Reddit thread, Mahogany Roca was taking care of Ben Rathbun following his cancer diagnosis, who had previously been arrested in 2024 for embezzlement.

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More about Mahogany Roca and Ben Rathbun's relationship, as the latter passes away

According to sources, the then 22-year-old Mahogany Roca met 52-year-old Ben Rathbun online in 2021, three months before the two decided to meet up in person on the show. Mahogany Roca, who is from Peru, later refused to meet Ben and did not go to the airport to pick him up when he flew down to Peru to meet her.

It was later revealed that Mahogany Roca had actually lied about her age, among other things. The couple, who have a thirty-year age difference, were at visible odds with each other throughout the course of their relationship on the show. It was Ben Rathbun, who previously worked as a pastor and had four children from his previous relationship, who tried to make the relationship with Mahogany Roca work.

According to Daily Mail, the former pastor also worked as the director of Michigan Lupus Foundation. In March 2022, he was fired from his place of work, after he was arrested for violating his probation from a previous DUI charge back in 2020.

During the course of the relationship on the show, unknown secrets about both Roca and Rathbun were revealed. Later, to everyone's surprise, the couple worked out their differences, and during their appearance on the show in 2024, it was revealed that the couple had got engaged and married in a civil ceremony, although the exact date of the event is not known as the couple were not active on social media.

In his appearance on the show in February 2024, Ben Rathbun revealed that although they had a civil marriage ceremony, he wanted to have a religious ceremony, adding that he was facing financial difficulties as he has been unemployed for the last six months. He said,

"Mahogany and I just got married a few months ago. Our civil ceremony was just brilliant, I could not believe how beautiful it was. But we are still planning on having a religious ceremony and do things right....We are just going through a very difficult transition. I have gone about six months without a really good job and bills have been piling up of course. And things have been extremely tight right now, and I am doing everything right now to pay for the bills and pay for my next trip to Peru."

According to the Mirror US, Ben Rathbun passed away at his home in Greencastle and was surrounded by close family, including Mahogany Roca, at the time of his death.

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