Was Josh Seiter's death news a hoax? 'The Bachelorette' star claims his social media account was hacked
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Josh Seiter, a former contestant on Season 11 of ‘The Bachelorette,’ has denied the rumours of his death.
He revealed that his social media account was hacked by someone who posted a fake announcement of his death.
He said that the hacker was “playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness” and apologized to his fans for the confusion.
For how long was Josh Seiter's account inaccessible?
Seiter, who appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season in 2015, posted a video on Tuesday to confirm that he was “alive and well” and that he had regained access to his account after 24 hours.
He said that the hacker had made a post claiming that his family had shared the “tragic news” of his “unexpected” death at the age of 36.
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The post, which has since been deleted, read, “As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world, People had also reported.
"His fearless voice and indomitable spirit helped thousands of people in their darkest moments feel just a little less alone.”
Why is Josh Seiter apologizing after the death hoax?
Seiter, who has been open about his struggles with depression and suicide attempts, said that he was “sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.”
He also said that he was working with his team to identify the person behind the hacking and that he would update his followers as more facts came in.
Seiter is not the only reality star who has been targeted by a death hoax recently.
In August, Lil Tay, a 14-year-old influencer, also had to debunk a false claim that she and her brother Jason Tian had died “unexpectedly”.
She said that she was “completely heartbroken” and “traumatized” by the incident and that she received “endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones”.
Cause of death was not mentioned in the statement announcing Josh Seiter's death
The cause of death was not mentioned in the statement which concluded with a phone number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
"Anybody who is experiencing a mental health crisis and needs help," it stated.
"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," the statement added.
"While we do that, we would kindly ask for privacy as we grieve," it continued.
Seiter is a model and an adult film actor. He has also appeared on reality TV and came out as bisexual earlier this year.
He had a former fiance who was an exotic male dancer, Out Magazine reported.