'Extreme Makeover' Plastic Surgeon Was 83
Matthew Harrington Dr. Harvey Zarem, a plastic surgeon who appeared on Extreme Makeover, has died. He was 83.
A source close to the family confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Zarem died on Sunday at his home in Savannah, Ga., surrounded by loved ones.
Zarem was known as the “Dean of Plastic Surgery,” having pioneered such techniques as liposuction and reconstructive post-cancer surgery of the breast. He served as the University of Chicago’s professor and chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery for seven years before holding the same position at the UCLA Medical Center and School of Medicine for 14 years.
Zarem ran a private practice in Santa Monica and later in his hometown of Savannah, upon returning there in 2011. His services were highly in demand by Hollywood notables, and he appeared on multiple episodes of ABC’s unscripted plastic-surgery series Extreme Makeover.
He is survived by Beth, his wife of 34 years; six children, Hal, Melissa, and Allison by his first wife, and Kathryn, Mikey, and Robbie by Beth; six grandchildren and his brother, publicist Bobby Zarem.
