Frankie Jo Abernathy was born in Blue Springs, Missouri, on December
21, 1981. She has lived there her entire life, and returned to live
with her parents, Abbie Hunter and stepfather, Perry Hunter, and
13-year-old sister, Mamie.
Frankie's claim to fame is being the "outcast" on MTV's 14th season of
The Real World (1991), shot in San Diego. While viewers perceived Frankie as an
angry, depressed, self-mutilating person, Frankie is actually a very
happy person, when she's on her own terms.
The main problem with Frankie's stint on the
The Real World (1991) is that Frankie,
who suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, has a very short life span
expectation, and she felt that the experience was dragging her down
and, in a sense, wasting her time, which is very precious for someone
who will probably only live to 30, tops.
She left on Halloween of 2003, returning to Blue Springs where she
dated her boyfriend, tattoo artist, Dave Duly. She enjoyed body mods,
hanging out with friends and family, going to shows, and trying to live
each day to the fullest.
Frankie died June 9, 2007, in Shorewood, Wisconsin, from complications
due to her disease, Cystic Fibrosis, at the age of 26.
The Real World(1991)as Self