Investigators were unsure why Turpin took his life.

The latest from producer Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Apprentice"), the series starts March 7 and will run as planned.

"The Contender" completed taping last fall except for the finale, a live prize bout scheduled for May. Turpin was eliminated earlier in the competition, which pits two boxers in each episode and allows the winner to advance.

The episode that features Turpin will be dedicated to him and will solicit donations to a trust fund to benefit his family.

NBC promotional materials say Turpin was orphaned at 18 when his mother died. He cared for a younger brother, sister, niece and nephew while holding down jobs doing roadwork and cleaning seafood. He also left a 2-year-old daughter along with his girlfriend, who appears in the show.

The show could get a ratings boost from viewers curious to glean signs of strife, potentially giving it a better chance of success than Fox's copycat "The Next Great Champ," which premiered last fall and quickly failed.

Sugar Ray Leonard, the retired champion who co-hosts "The Contender" with Sylvester Stallone, says he was "devastated to hear the news."

"Najai was a very soft-spoken young man; everyone fell in love with him," Leonard says. "He had a great deal of natural ability, and he was extremely confident."

Leonard described the prime-time exposure as "an awesome opportunity" that would have boosted Turpin's career.

But Turpin's manager, Percy Custus, told the Philadelphia Daily News that among other troubles, Turpin was "frustrated" by a "Contender" contract that paid him $1,800 a week but prevented him from appearing in a boxing match until the series ends in May.