US Bachelorette star Clint Arlis dies aged 34: ‘Absolute tragedy’
Former US Bachelorette contestant Clint Arlis has passed away at the age of 34, his family have confirmed on social media.
The reality star appeared on the 11th season of the dating show in 2015 vying for the heart of Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Clint’s sister Taylor Lulek broke the news on Thursday with an emotional post on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness, to tell you that my family has lost my best friend and older brother Clint on the morning of January 11th,” she wrote alongside a childhood photo of herself, Clint and their brother Logan.
While she didn’t reveal the cause of her brother’s death, she asked for his fans to “please respect our family’s privacy as we try to cope with this great loss”.
Clint was referred to as one of the ‘villains’ during his season of The Bachelorette, coining the catchphrase ‘villains gonna vill’ with fellow contestant JJ Lane, and was ultimately eliminated in week three.
Following the news of Clint’s death, his former Bachelorette Kaitlyn took to Instagram to share her condolences and labelled his death as “an absolute tragedy”.
“This is an Instagram Story I did not think I’d be doing tonight, but Clint, who was on my season of The Bachelorette, I’m gonna say tragically - he’s tragically passed at 34 years old,” she said.
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“All I want to say is that from knowing him on the show, even though, you know, things didn’t end on the best terms for us, from his time on the show to today, I have heard nothing but incredible things about that person.
“From his peers, his students, his coaches, his teachers, his friends, his family. Clint was very well respected in his world, and it is an absolute tragedy of what’s happened.”
Clint’s Bachelorette co-star Nick Viall, who went on to become the season’s runner-up, also posted on Twitter about his passing.
“Just heard about the passing of Clint Arlis. I got a chance to get to know Clint a little after our time on Kaitlyn’s season and I always enjoy our time and conversation,” he wrote. “A very kind, unique, and talented person who was taken from this world far too soon. RIP Clint.”
Clint reportedly deleted all of his social media accounts following his reality TV appearance, and is said to have worked as an architectural engineer.
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