Troy Shafer dies aged 38

The 'Nashville Flipped' star's brother Tim says the TV star passed away in his sleep on April 28, and he was laid to rest last week at a small, private burial for his family, who are said to be in shock, according to TMZ.

DIY Network - home of his 'Nashville Flipped' series, on which he restored in houses mainly from the 1800s and 1900s - said in a statement: "The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series.

"We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy's family and friends during this difficult time."

Troy's passing has come as a particular shock as he was not thought to have had any known medical conditions.

A toxicology report is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, but an autopsy was not performed.

Troy moved to Nashville in 2004 to follow his dreams of becoming a country music star.

But he later founded home restoration business Nashville Flipped and his progress was documented in a TV series of the same name.

The show aired for two series from 2016 to 2017 and was created by Troy's pal, 'American Pickers' star Mike Wolfe.

In October, Troy took to Instagram to promote a new show of his, 'Restoring Nashville'.

He wrote: "@DIYNetwork My new show premieres today! *** RESTORING NASHVILLE - 2 PILOT EPISODES *** WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24TH, 1:00PM / 1:30PM EST (sic)"

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