LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — John "Eastside" McAllister was one of the inmates heavily featured in the popular Pulaski County jail Netflix series "Unlocked: A Jail Experiment."
McAllister died this past weekend with a little less than a month left before his release from state prison.
"For him to be in the spotlight and be such a big participant in the series was not surprising to most of us," McAllister's cousin Micheala Kavanaugh said.
In the Unlocked series, McAllister was known as a goofy inmate who got into trouble making bootleg alcohol and tattooing other inmates.
McAllister was in jail for multiple charges, including possession of meth or cocaine with the purpose to deliver, criminal mischief, breaking and entering, theft of property and possession of firearms by certain persons.
Kavanaugh said they started to see him go down the path of drugs when he was a teenager.
"He didn't always pick the best friends," Kavanaugh said. "He didn't always surround himself with the greatest of people."
McAllister was transferred to a prison in Pine Bluff last October and died this past weekend with just 28 more days until his release.
Prison officials do not suspect foul play, and suicide has been ruled out as his cause of death. An autopsy is being performed to determine the exact cause.
"It's really hard to believe that we're not going to see him again," Kavanaugh said. "He's not going to walk through the door. He's not going to give us a phone call. It's really hard."
From planning his future to his funeral, McAllister's family hopes those moments from his time on the show will encourage everyone to aspire for a better life.
"Something he said just stuck with you, and you kept that memory, keep it," Kavanaugh said. "Keep it because he wanted to change the world, and he loved being an inspiration for people. I would hold it just like the memories we are holding onto."