'American Gladiators' Star Debbie 'Storm' Clark Dead at 61

Debbie Clark -- a former cast member on "American Gladiators," better known as "Storm" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Her brother, Steven, tells TMZ ... Debbie died Monday at her home in Boston. She had a pacemaker, and it gave out. Family was home at the time.

Her son Crayton tells us her pacemaker stopped working due to her overworking herself ... adding she passed away in his arms as they were waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Clayton says paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she had already died. He was living in the same apartment complex as Debbie, so that he could spend time with her and take care of her.

He believes Debbie died from cardiac arrest. He's started a GoFundMe to be able to spread her ashes with her mother.

The show posted the tragic news to its official Facebook account ... noting she was "an exceptional athlete" before she became a Gladiator -- excelling in basketball, soccer and track.

Debbie joined "American Gladiators" after the competitor "Gold" suffered an injury in 1991. She adopted the moniker "Storm" -- after producers told her she'd "blown them all away" ... and established herself as a star in the Powerball and Joust challenges.

She was a regular on the show until 1993, showing off her physical prowess and other talents -- including flaunting her singing voice by belting the national anthem at one "American Gladiators" event -- before a serious ACL injury forced her to retire.

The franchise notes that Debbie faced "significant challenges in her personal life" after her time on the show ended.

It appears she was homeless for a time ... and Sherri Shepherd even stepped in back in 2011 and helped pay her rent for 6 months.

Debbie is survived by her son, Crayton.

She was 61.