The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter dead at 36

A former contestant on The Bachelorette has tragically died at just 36, with his family issuing a heartbreaking statement.

Editor’s note: Josh Seiter has posted a video to confirm he is “alive and well” and blamed hackers on his death announcement.

You can read the full update here.

Josh Seiter, a former contestant on The Bachelorette, has died at the age of 36.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua’s unexpected passing,” Seiter’s family wrote in a statement shared on his Instagram.

“As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world. His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone.”

Bachelorette star Josh Seiter has tragically died aged 36.

The family noted that while their “heartache at Joshua’s passing pains [them] beyond measure,” they are able to “find comfort knowing that he is finally at peace.”

They concluded the statement by asking for privacy and encouraging anyone “who is experiencing a mental health crisis” to reach out for help.

The statement did not reveal Seiter’s cause of death.

His family issued a heartbreaking statement on Seiter's Instagram account.

Just four days before his death, the former reality TV star posted a photo of himself smiling with the caption: “Surviving depression and anxiety one day at a time with a smile.”

Seiter had been very vocal about his struggles with mental health over the years, admitting last month that he battled “feelings of worthlessness on a daily basis.”

“How are we going to stop conditioning our self-worth on the acceptance of others?” he asked his 450,000 followers. “The answer to that question only came after I was open and honest with the world about my mental health struggles. It does get better️.”

Seiter’s recent Instagram post discussed how he was “surviving” depression.

According to an Instagram post from July 2021, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar depression, and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Seiter was a contestant on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette in 2015 but was eliminated after week one.

At the beginning of the year, he came out as bisexual and revealed that he had found love with a man named David.

Seiter told TV Shows Ace in May that he and David had been seeing each other on and off since November 2022 and that he was “excited to finally be in a healthy relationship.”

Seiter and David, whom he had been friends with for years, got engaged in June.

This story originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission