A contestant on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette has died.
Eric Hill was paragliding in Utah on Sunday when his parachute collapsed and he collided with a hillside. He was put into a medically induced coma following the accident and his health was considered to be in critical condition.
Brian Anderton, the United Fire Authority Battalion chief, told Us Weekly, “Due to the slope of the hill, we had a difficult time getting the patient down, so we called in a technical rescue team and some technical medical specialists.”
Eric’s sister, Karen Tracy, revealed on Wednesday that her brother had passed away, posting on Facebook, “Eric shared his final journey with us this morning as all his immediate family were able to be at his side when he passed away. Thank you to all of your love and support and prayers and fasting. It was amazing to be with so many of this friends and family yesterday in the hospital who came to express their love for Eric.”
She went on to say, “[Eric] gave us such a gift of a life fully lived and fully shared, and allowed us all to be a part of his last adventure here on earth. It is hard to think of life without his bright spark, but we know he is on to new adventures. We look forward to carrying on his legacy here and greeting him joyfully again someday. I love you so much, little brother!”
The paragliding incident was not tied in with The Bachelorette in any way. ABC has not yet announced the season 10 cast who will be competing for Andi Dorfman’s heart, but according to Reality Steve, Eric had already been eliminated from the show prior to the accident — and filming of the new season is still underway. It is unclear at this time how the show will address Eric’s death.
But host Chris Harrison tweeted his condolences: “On behalf of all of us at The Bachelor our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Eric Hill. He will be missed.”
When Karen mentioned “a life fully lived,” there couldn’t be a more true statement. Eric’s organization, Go with Eric: The Global Odyssey, followed him as he attempted to visit every country in the world (as recognized by the United Nations) in 1,200 days, which would have been a world record. In the first year of his journey, he visited over 50 countries.
The Global Odyssey wants to help Eric’s family out, and is asking people to donate money on the YouCaring fundraising website.
The Bachelorette season 10 premieres Monday, May 19 at 9:30pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of Eric Hill/The Global Odyssey)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
