Though Lee Najjar never appeared onscreen, his presence — and immense wealth — was always felt.

*Real Housewives of Atlanta *star Kim Zolciak’s mysterious ex ‘Big Poppa’ dies at 68

Though Lee Najjar never appeared onscreen, his presence — and immense wealth — was always felt.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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April 22, 2026 6:17 p.m. ET

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Lee Najjar in West Hollywood in 2009. Credit:

ANDREAS BRANCH/PMC via Getty

- Kim Zolciak's mysterious ex-boyfriend, Big Poppa, has died at 68.

- Though Big Poppa, whose real name is Lee Najjar, never appeared on *The Real Housewives of Atlanta*, his presence — and wealth — was always felt.

- In 2017, Zolciak said that she hadn't spoken to Najjar in "years and years and years and years and years."

*Real Housewives of Atlanta* star Kim Zolciak's ex Lee "Big Poppa" Najjar has died.

The mysterious figure, who never appeared onscreen on the reality show but remained a key character nonetheless as he paid for Zolciak's extravagant habits, died on April 18, per TMZ. He was 68. His daughter, Katelin, shared a series of Instagram Story tributes to her father, with whom she was "incredibly close" and "shared a special bond."

Katelin also shared a picture of a birthday card her father wrote her. “I loved when he wrote me cards; he knew it meant everything to me,” she wrote. His message read, “You will always have my whole heart. I am so proud of you and your accomplishments and always love you."

* *reached out to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner to confirm Najjar's death. TMZ was first to report the news. A cause of death hasn't been revealed.

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Though Big Poppa — who was married to another woman while dating Zolciak — was never featured onscreen in the reality show, his presence was always felt. He allegedly financed Zolciak's Range Rover and townhouse, along with other over-the-top gifts.

“I have a man in my life. He prefers to remain a mystery. I just refer to him as Big Poppa,” Zolciak said in the first season of *RHOA, *per *The Sun*. “Big Poppa is a multi-millionaire. He doesn’t ever want to be in public, because he’s a celebrity. A lot of my girlfriends don’t even know who he is!”

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Zolciak told PEOPLE in 2008 that he was "a great person" to whom she was once engaged. “He’s still a part of my everyday life at this point. I don’t know what the future holds. I’m crazy about him. And he’s great to my girls.”

She added: “He is legally married, but he’s estranged from his wife. It’s kind of like Shereé [Whitfield]. I always give this analogy. Shereé’s been going through a divorce for three years. Sometimes things take a while to move forward.”

Zolciak's relationship with him ended in 2009. "He will always be the love of my life, but it’s time for me to move on," she said at the time, per TMZ. Najjar's identity went public not long after. In 2010, the reality star said that she and Najjar were back together, telling PEOPLE, "It’s been so on and off in the last two years, but the entertainment industry is really difficult and takes a toll on relationships."

Najjar and Zolciak would call it quits for good later that year.

Kim Zolciak; Najjar.

Rich Polk/Bravo/Getty; ANDREAS BRANCH/Patrick McMullan via Getty

In addition to his offscreen role on *RHOA*, Big Poppa's family appeared on the MTV show *Teen Cribs** *in 2009.

In 2017, Zolciak told PEOPLE it had been "years and years and years and years and years,” since she and Big Poppa last spoke. “I’ve been with Kroy seven years — I’m obsessed with him. So I definitely haven’t heard from [Big Poppa]. I’m very committed to my husband.”

Najjar is survived by his wife Kimberly and children Katelin and Jeremy.

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