LuLaRoe co-founder Mark Stidham passed away on September 25th at the age of sixty-eight.
Stidham is believed to have died of complications related to pancreatic cancer.
BehindMLM wouldn’t typically note the passing of an MLM co-founder but with LuLaRoe being embroiled in recent public controversy, Stidham warrants an exception.
I learned of Stidham’s passing through a check of
ongoing pyramid scheme proceedings
initiated by Jessica Ponkey.
As of September 2024 the case had been dismissed twice. As I understand the second dismissal is under appeal.
On September 29th a case docket entry, noting a Ninth Circuit order, confirmed
receipt of the Suggestion of Death, filed September 26, 2025. Counsel for Defendants-Appellees is directed to inform the court within ten days from the date of this order whether a party will be substituted for the decedent.
On October 6th counsel for Deanna Brady (Stidham’s wife, left with Stidham) and LuLaRoe, informed the court
the LLR Parties do not intend to file any motion to substitute a party in place of the decedent, Mark A. Stidham.
This suggests Deanna will continue to defend the case on LuLaRoe’s behalf. It also suggests Deanna will continue to operate LuLaRoe solo.
Mark Stidham was LuLaRoe’s CEO, having launched the company with Deanne in 2013.
To confirm where Deanne is in LuLaRoe’s executive structure, I went looking for an official statement but couldn’t find one. Not even an acknowledgement of Stidham’s passing, which was odd.
Ponkey’s lawsuit was one of two pyramid scheme class-actions filed against LuLaRoe. Settlements were
reached with all plaintiffs in the first lawsuit
by July 2021.
Other recent LuLaRoe controversies include:
a $95,950 civil penalty related to
violations of Pennsylvania Consumer Protection Law
in 2020;
a
$4.75 million settlement
in 2021 over
“unlawful pyramid scheme” charges
brought by the Washington State AG in 2019; and
LuLaRich
, a 2021 Amazon Prime series that explored LuLaRoe’s descent from a “fast-growing retail phenomenon to alleged viral multi-level marketing scam”
Also of note is LuLaRoe owing one of its suppliers, Providence Industries (dba MyDyer), $49 million as of late 2018.
In response to MyDyer’s concern over LuLaRoe’s mounting debt, Stidham
purportedly told a company representative
;
Look guys, I am not going to pay you guys a fucking dime unless a judge orders me to pay it, and DeAnne and I will take our two to three hundred million dollars to the Bahamas, and fuck everything.
A judge
ordered Stidham to pay $164 million in damages to Providence Industries
in November 2024.
Despite its
various controversies
and challenges (LuLaRoe took a big hit following customer reports of deteriorating product quality in the late 2010s), the MLM company persisted with a dedicated following.
SimilarWeb was tracking ~50,000 monthly visits to LuLaRoe’s website as of September 2024.
As per a
2024 Income Disclosure Statement
, 90.37% of LuLaRoe promot
🤖 Quick Answer
Who was Mark Stidham and when did he die?Mark Stidham was the co-founder of LuLaRoe, a multi-level marketing company specializing in women's clothing. He passed away on September 25, 2025, at the age of sixty-eight. His death is believed to have resulted from complications related to pancreatic cancer.
What legal proceedings were connected to LuLaRoe at the time of Stidham's death?
At the time of Mark Stidham's passing, LuLaRoe was involved in ongoing pyramid scheme proceedings initiated by Jessica Ponkey. As of September 2024, the case had been dismissed twice, with the second dismissal reportedly under appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court.
How was Stidham's death formally acknowledged in legal proceedings?
On September 29, 2025, a
📰 Aggiornamenti e Notizie Correlate
(aggiornato al 17/04/2026)1. Bridget Read discusses her book 'Little Bosses Everywhere' on multi-level marketing - Boise State Public Radio — Sun, 11 May 2025 12:07:00 GMT
READ: A pyramid scheme - instead of really making money on buying or selling any products, you're just making money on people investing into the scheme, robbing Peter to pay Paul. RASCOE: MLMs - like Amway, like Mary Kay, like LuLaRoe - they will point to people in their organizations who do make so…2. Bridget Read’s New Book Provides a Clear-Eyed View of MLM-Scam Culture (and Its Many Victims) - Vogue — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:00:00 GMT
Everyone’s had a bad boss at some point or another, but the great promise of multi-level marketing (MLM), as New York magazine features writer—and former Vogue culture writer!—Bridget Read explains it in her new book, Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America (out May 6 f…3. Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir dies at 78 - CNN — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 06:12:00 GMT
Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir dies at 78. By Bryan Dent Wood, CNN. Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir dies at 78. Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died, according to his official website. Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir dies at 78. Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful …
4. 'Little Bosses Everywhere' looks into the Wild West of multilevel marketing - WRVO — Thu, 22 May 2025 13:07:00 GMT
'Little Bosses Everywhere' looks into the Wild West of multilevel marketing Multilevel marketing – or MLM – first became popular in the period that followed World War II. MLMs offer themselves as low-cost paths to entrepreneurship, but very few of their participants are able to earn a living wage. A…5. Bridget Read discusses her book 'Little Bosses Everywhere' on multi-level marketing - NPR — Sun, 11 May 2025 12:07:58 GMT
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with writer and New York magazine journalist Bridget Read about her new book, 'Little Bosses Everywhere.' It's an exploration of the world of multi-level marketing. RASCOE: MLMs - like Amway, like Mary Kay, like LuLaRoe - they will point to people in their organizations wh…6. Jarrett Stidham contract: Full details of the Broncos starting QB's contract - sportingnews.com — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:38:10 GMT
Jarrett Stidham contract: Full details of the Broncos starting QB's contract. Jarrett Stidham has made a career as a dependable backup quarterback. His success in college earned him an NFL Draft selection by the New England Patriots in 2019. ## How much is Jarrett Stidham's contract worth? Accordi…
🔗 Related Articles
- LuLaRoe a pyramid scheme alleges Washington AG lawsuit
- MGH Global Vision Review: Anti-cancer & matrix recruitment
- Iyovia collapses, MLM operations terminated
- WCM777 Receivership to wind down over next 60-90 days
- BrandOnline365 Review: JubiRev without the Ponzi