Bachelorette Alum Josh Seiter Dead At 36

UPDATE 8/29/2023: Joshua Seiter is "alive and well," according to a video he posted to Instagram on August 29. The reality star claimed the death announcement was made by a hacker.

Josh Seiter, a former "The Bachelorette" contestant who participated in Season 11 of the reality series, has died. He was 36 years old.

Seiter's death was announced by his family, who shared the tragic news on Instagram. In a statement, they wrote: "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua's unexpected passing. As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world." They did not disclose the cause of his death, but they say they "find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace." They also shared the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for anyone battling mental health issues needing special assistance.

Seiter's death comes days after the former reality star shared personal details about his mental health with his followers. Just days before his family reported his untimely death, he wrote in a post that he was "surviving depression and anxiety one day at a time with a smile." Over the years, Seiter shared words of comfort on social media with those in a similar situation.

The majority of Josh Seiter's posts on Instagram were about celebrating milestones relating to his sobriety journey and his mental health. In March 2020, Seiter, who described himself as a "mental health pioneer," revealed that in November 2019, "my anxiety and depression became overwhelming and I became hospitalized." In a separate post, he shared that he had obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The reality star also admitted he was a suicide attempt survivor.

But Seiter never did it to gain mainstream attention. Even though he admitted he found it difficult to open up in the beginning, the "The Bachelorette" alum previously told Nicki Swift in an exclusive interview that he did it to inspire other people to get help, too. "Getting messages that you see that people are taking concrete steps because of a post that you made situates it and let you see that there's literally real world consequences too and benefits of posting about stuff on social media," he shared in March 2022. "And so, that was inspiring to see, wow, this guy in West Virginia is now going to see a therapist for the first time in his life because I made a post in Chicago in my bedroom about depression. The power of social media really came out then." 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org