Josh Seiter’s death was widely reported on Monday, August 28 following a statement posted via his official Instagram account. One day later, however, Seiter re-appeared in a video shared on Instagram saying that he is “alive and well” and claiming that the statement about his death was posted by someone who hacked into his page.
The Bachelorette star said in the video:
“Hey guys, as you can see, I’m alive and well. My account was hacked for the last 24 hours. I’ve been trying desperately to get into it. Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness and the struggles I’ve gone through with depression and suicide attempts. I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.”
He continued, “I just got back into my account. I am going to do all I can with my team to try to identify who was behind this. But again, I apologize for the confusion and I will update you guys as more facts come in. Thank you guys.”
On Monday, August 28, Seiter’s official Instagram account posted a statement about his sudden passing. This news was then reported by several news outlets, from People to NBC News to Entertainment Weekly to TMZ, among others. The since-deleted statement read:
“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. His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone.”
It continued, “Although our heartache at Joshua’s passing pains us beyond measure, we find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace. We hope and pray that his spirit can continue to live on in the pictures and words on this page, which we will leave up for the time being. While we do that, we would kindly ask for privacy as we grieve. For anybody who is experiencing a mental health crisis and needs help, the 988 SMS Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources.”
This story is still developing, we will update when more information becomes available…