Former 'Bachelorette' Contestant Was 29

Tyler Gwozdz, a contestant on the 2019 season of The Bachelorette, has died. He was 29.

The Palm Beach County (Florida) Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that it has an individual by Gwozdz’s name. The spokesperson could not release any further information due to the case being an ongoing investigation.

The Boca Raton Police Services Department on Thursday told THR that it had “responded to a medical overdose” involving Gwozdz on Jan. 13. In the 911 call obtained by THR, a woman is heard telling the operator that her friend “overdosed and won’t wake up.”

TMZ was first to report that Gwozdz was hospitalized last week following a suspected overdose, and that he was then admitted to an intensive care unit. By Tuesday, he was no longer a current patient in the system.

The Boca Raton native was a contestant on Hannah Brown’s 15th cycle of The Bachelorette. After making an early impression on the star, he was eliminated from the ABC reality dating competition show after three weeks without any explanation. “Tyler G. had to leave, and that’s upsetting because I really enjoyed my date with him,” star Brown announced midway through the May 2019 episode. The network never provided additional information about why Gwozdz was abruptly sent home.

The franchise’s producers said in a statement on Thursday, “We are heartbroken to hear the tragic news of Tyler’s passing today. Our thoughts are with the Gwozdz family and his friends.”

According to Gwozdz’s ABC bio posted ahead of his reality show debut, the psychology graduate student’s life goal was to get his PhD in psychology and become a clinical psychologist. He was referred to as “Tyler G.” during his appearance on The Bachelorette due to the casting of another Tyler, runner-up Tyler Cameron.

The 24th season of ABC’s The Bachelor is currently airing with Brown’s second runner-up, Peter Weber.