Upcoming "Bachelorette" contestant Eric Hill died on Wednesday, Apr. 23 after a paragliding accident on Sunday, Apr. 20 left him in a medically induced coma. Hill was paragliding in Utah when his parachute partially collapsed, according to reports.
A rescue team was called to the scene and Hill was airlifted to a local hospital. The 30-year-old had competed on the upcoming season of ABC's the "Bachelorette" with Andi Dorfman. According to reports, he had finished taping the show at the time of his death. A source told TV blogger Reality Steve that Hill was eliminated.
E! News recently caught up with "Bachelorette" creator Mike Fleiss who said everyone is still stunned and saddened about the death.
"We're all just devastated. He was such a vibrant, young dude. He was. It's tragic," Fleiss told E! News. "He was such a young guy who lived life to the fullest. I couldn't believe it when I heard. I'm still in shock. We're all in shock. This transcends, certainly a television show."
Fleiss said that the show is "going to try and be as sensitive as possible" but didn't give specifics as to how the death will be handled. For instance, will producers completely cut Hill from the show out of respect or still show his journey with Dorfman?
"It's a bizarre predicament that we never expected to be in, but our problems aren't important. It's about his family now," he said. "My heart goes out to them. I pray for them and my staff, they're just wrecked."
Hill's death was announced by his sister, Karen Tracy, on her Facebook page.
"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," Tracy wrote. "Thank you to all of your and support and prayers and fasting. It was amazing to be with so many of his friends and family yesterday in the hospital who came to express their love for Eric. He 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!"
