Former “Bachelorette” contestant Clint Arlis has died, his sister Taylor announced. He was 34.
“It is with great sadness, to tell you that my family has lost my best friend and older brother Clint on the morning of January 11th,” she wrote on Facebook. “Please respect our family’s privacy as we try to cope with this great loss.”
Taylor added that details of his service would be provided later but didn’t reveal a cause of death.
Although Arlis, who appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season, was best known for his slogan “villains gotta vill,” his former co-star Nick Viall remembered him as a “very kind, unique, and talented person.”
“Just heard about the passing of Clint Arlis,” the “Bachelor” alum, 41, tweeted. “I got a chance to get know Clint a little after our time on Kaitlyns season and I always enjoy are time and conversations.”
Viall added that Arlis “was taken from this world far too soon.”
Arlis’ former high school wrestling coach, Scott Bayer, also confirmed his passing with an emotional tribute.
“It is with a heavy heart and a sense of profound loss that we announce the death of one of the Batavia Wrestling Program’s All-Time greats,” Bayer tweeted on Jan. 13. “He was [a] talented artist with a sharp wit, a sardonic sense of humor and palpable authenticity.
He added, “The heartfelt speech he dedicated to his dad at his retirement celebration made me proud to know both of them.”
Arlis was eliminated in the third week of Season 11, which aired in 2015. In the years since his appearance on the dating reality show, Arlis kept a low profile and deleted his social media accounts.
Bristowe ultimately got engaged to Jason Tartick in May 2021 after splitting from Season 11 winner Shawn Booth in 2018.