'Big Brother' Season 1 contestant Cassandra Waldon dead at 56

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Former “Big Brother” Season 1 houseguest Cassandra Waldon recently died at age 56 after a car accident in Rome, Italy.

Waldon never regained consciousness after sustaining a head injury in the crash two months ago, according to Deadline. The outlet reports that she died on Sept. 25.

Waldon worked at the United Nations in Rome but is perhaps best known as the first resident to enter a “Big Brother” house in the U.S. when the show debuted in 2000. The series’ longtime host, Julie Chen, paid tribute to the late houseguest on Instagram.

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“Rest In Peace Cassandra. Your light will continue to shine in this world because of the way you lived your life: with class and grace,” Chen wrote. “May your family and loved ones find solace and peace. Thank you for bringing your intelligence, warmth and wisdom to the Big Brother house Season 1. You are in my thoughts and in my prayers. May God Bless your soul.”

U.N. Secretary-General Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric also paid tribute to Waldon in a daily briefing.

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“On a sad note, I want to extend our condolences to the family of our colleague Cassandra Waldon, the Director of Communications at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), who passed away this week. She was a delightful and dedicated colleague and we were sad to learn of her passing,” the briefing's transcript reads.

Waldon placed sixth out of 10 in her season of “Big Brother.”

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Representatives for CBS did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.