One Bachelorette alum has been forced to clarify he is still alive after apparently becoming the target of another Instagram death hoax.
Josh Seiter, who starred on the ABC reality show during season 11, was reported dead at 36 after a statement was issued from his account reporting that he had died.
The initial post read: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Josh’s unexpected passing. As all who knew him can attest, Josh was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world.”
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But now Josh has said he is “alive and well” in a new video, claiming the ‘hacker’ took advantage of his mental health struggles to con fans into believing he had died.
(Image: Instagram)
Josh told fans: “Hey guys, as you can see I am alive and well. My account was hacked. For the last 24 hours I have been trying desperately to get back 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.”
He went on to say: “I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post. I have just got back into my account, I’m going to do all I can with my team to identify who is behind this.
(Image: Instagram/josh_seiter_official)
“Again, I apologise for the confusion and I will update you guys as more facts come in. Thank you guys.”
The death hoax statement was posted on Monday (August 28), with Josh’s supposed ‘family’ writing: “Although our heartache at Joshua’s passing pains up 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.”
They didn’t clarify a cause of death but did share information for the SMS suicide hotline, implying that his mental health struggles had contributed.
(Image: Instagram)
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Josh isn’t the first to be targeted in a vile death hoax of late, with rapper Lil Tay confirmed not dead after a statement from her account claimed both she and her brother had passed away.
The 14-year-old told TMZ: “I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say.
“It’s been a very traumatising 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
