Doody’s brother Tim was the focus of Queer Eye season 8 episode 2.
The second episode of Queer Eye season 8, which is now available on Netflix, has proved to be an emotional one for viewers, as the Fab Five looked to improve the life of Kiss super-fan Tim Keel.
Tim, who had recently lost his job and was divorced from his wife, had been the sole caregiver to his brother Tommy, nicknamed Doody, since he became paralysed after a car accident 30 years prior.
Sadly, at the end of the episode it was revealed that Doody had passed away six months after the episode had been filmed, with a title card paying tribute to his life.
The card, which featured a picture of the brothers when they were younger, read: “Six months after production of Tim’s episode, Doody passed away unexpectedly. Brothers together until the end.”
Melody, Tim’s daughter and Doody’s niece, who was the one to nominate Tim for the show, paid tribute to her uncle on Instagram a year ago following his passing, saying: “From Melody – My Uncle Doody passed away this morning. I adored him from the moment I met him.
“As soon as I could walk I wanted to push his wheelchair, and we spent many, many hours of me doing his makeup, dressing him in wigs, and making him be a guest in my plastic food restaurant. He was my captive audience, and he always met me with smiles and laughs (even though many others were met with a strong ‘f**k you!’ If they tried to move him around.)
“When he got into the accident over thirty years ago they didn’t give him long to live, but my Dad’s unwavering love and commitment to him kept us with him for longer than anyone imagined possible. He loved listening to music, telling old stories, ripping apart magazines to hang ‘bow’ in his room, eating anything and everything, and making us cry laugh.
“He taught me to always laugh, even if you’re in the most awful situation imaginable – just keep f**king laughing – it’s all about your state of mind. Life will never be the same without you, and I will love you and miss you and think of you forever my Doodle Bug.”
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Who was Tommy ‘Doody’ Keel?
Tommy ‘Doody’ Keel, nicknamed after the phrase ‘Howdy Doody’, was the older brother of Tim Keel, who appeared on the second episode of Queer Eye season 8, Kiss the Sky.
He had been in a car accident in 1986 which had left him paralysed and, with severe brain damage, his brother Tim, seven years his junior, had become his caregiver.
Jonathan van Ness explained at the start of the episode: “More than 30 years ago, Tim’s brother Tommy, AKA Doody, was in a terrible car accident, leaving him paralysed with severe brain damage. Since that day, Tim has been Doody’s sole caretaker.”
Tim later explained that doctors hadn’t thought Doody would survive his accident, and that he was in a coma for three months following it.
Throughout the episode, Tim said that Doody was his idol and that he was the one who had introduced him to Kiss in the first place. While he was taking part in the programme, his family looked after Doody.
It is explained at the end of the episode that Doody passed away unexpectedly six months after the episode was filmed.
Queer Eye season 8 is available to stream on Netflix now. Looking for something to watch in the meantime? Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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