David St. John, a TV producer who worked on shows including “America’s Next Top Model,” died Dec. 19 of pancreatic cancer in Seattle. He was 56.

St. John, whose death was only recently announced, started his career at MTV on the series “Taildaters,” rising from assistant to story producer. He moved on to “America’s Next Top Model,” co-executive producing more than 100 episodes of the hit reality show.

St. John was passionate about highlighting underrepresented communities, particularly while working on “I Am Jazz,” which followed transgender teen Jazz Jennings and earned a GLAAD Media Award. He went on to work on “The Ts Madison Experience.”

His final project, TLC’s “Jay & Pamela,” followed an engaged couple born with osteogenesis imperfecta.

“To be in David St. John’s orbit meant that you were witness to an astonishingly bright light… all the time,” said Drew Tappon, Head of Unscripted Development, Programming & Specials at OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.