Editor’s note: Josh Seiter clarified on Tuesday that his Instagram account was “hacked” and he is alive.
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 Monday.
“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.”
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.
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 better ❤️.”
According to an Instagram post from July 2021, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar depression, and generalized 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, the Juris Doctor 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.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
