'Buckwild' producers paying for Shain Gandee's funeral

SISSONVILLE, W.Va., April 3 (UPI) -- The producers of "Buckwild" say they will pay for the funeral of the reality show's 21-year-old star Shain Gandee, who died this week in West Virginia.

Gandee and two other men died of carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday after the truck they were off-roading in got stuck in the mud.

TMZ said Wednesday the producers of "Buckwild" have pledged to pay for his funeral and burial expenses after his family said they couldn't afford them and planned to hold a mud run to raise money to pay for them.

"Shain was a great kid with a big heart who had endless love for his mom and dad," Parallel Entertainment Chief Executive Officer J.P. Williams told the celebrity news website. "I am from West Virginia and this show reminded me of how I grew up."

TMZ said a public service is to be held for Gandee Sunday.

Money raised through the mud run and by fan websites will now go toward expenses incurred by Gandee's family during the efforts to find him and the other missing men, and recover their bodies, TMZ said. Any money left over will also go towards the other men's funerals.