The former Bachelor contestant Hailey Merkt has died at age 31 following a tragic struggle with cancer.
On Tuesday, Merkt’s Instagram page was updated with what appeared to be its first post in over two months, revealing that she had died following months of treatments for Leukemia.
Merkt had appeared on season 21 of The Bachelor, when she competed for Nick Viall’s affections.
‘It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life,’ the statement began.
It said she had ‘faced this journey with unimaginable strength, grace, and selflessness,’ adding that ‘Her determination, courage, and will to live surpassed every timeline the doctors gave her, and she chose to spend her final moments surrounded by loved ones and doing what she cherished most with no regrets.’
The former Bachelor contestant Hailey Merkt has died on July 26 at age 31 following a tragic struggle with cancer, according to a statement posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday
The model and photographer competed on season 21 of The Bachelor, which starred Nick Viall (L)
‘She will forever be remembered as anything but boring, always hysterically funny, and as someone who lived fully in the present moment,’ it continued, and the statement said that she ’embraced life with an unmatched zest’ and that ‘her beautiful spirit has touched countless lives.’
‘Hailey will be profoundly missed by all who knew her. Her laughter, her love, and her vibrant spirit have left an undeniable mark on our hearts,’ the statement continued. ‘While we grieve her loss, we find comfort in knowing that her spirit will live on in all the lives she touched. Rest in peace, Hailey.’
It offered thanks to her fans and supporters who had donated to a GoFundMe account, which was left open for those who still wished to donate.
Multiple fellow Bachelor contestants paid tribute to Merkt in the comments of the post.
“I count myself so lucky to know your laugh and grateful to have met and loved the realest, warmest, most beautiful soul in the weirdest of places. Forever grateful for your friendship there and in the real world…. What a force my girl, rest easy. So much love to all your people,’ wrote Danielle Maltby, who had also competed on season 21 with her.
‘Oh my gosh!!! I’m so so sad to hear this,’ added Raven Gates, a fellow season 21 contestant. ‘I was so hoping for her recovery. Rest easy, Hailey, you’ll never be forgotten.’
Merkt’s costar Dominique Alexis wrote, ‘My love, I hope you are in the most beautiful peaceful place. I can’t imagine that I won’t see you again but I’ll cherish every memory together. Love you.’
A statement added to Merkt’s GoFundMe page from its organizer, Christopher Bennett, shared more details of her cancer battle and explained a tragic reversal in her health after she thought she had received a clean bill of health.
‘It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life,’ the statement began
It said that she ‘faced this journey with unimaginable strength, grace, and selflessness,’ and that ‘Her determination, courage, and will to live surpassed every timeline the doctors gave her’
Multiple fellow Bachelor contestants paid tribute to Merkt in the comments of the post; pictured on The Bachelor season 21 with Nick Viall
‘Oh my gosh!!! I’m so so sad to hear this,’ added Raven Gates, a fellow season 21 contestant. ‘I was so hoping for her recovery. Rest easy, Hailey, you’ll never be forgotten’; Merkt is pictured with her fellow contestants on season 21
‘After the bone marrow transplant had taken, she was told she had nine months to not even think about cancer, but in truth she only had 6 weeks before she got the terrible news that leukemia cells were back and moving fast,’ wrote Bennett.
‘Her first reaction was to say, “I don’t care about myself anymore, but I can’t bear being the cause of so much pain for the people I love,”‘ Merkt was quoted as saying.
‘I am in awe of her. She had such clarity and independence and grace,’ Bennett continued.
‘She decided she wanted to live every last minute she had to the fullest: being with the people she loved and doing the things she loved, and she loved doing so many simple things,’ he added, before calling her a ‘beautiful soul.’
The statement noted that Hailey’s brother Kyle had donated stem cells to her, ‘which allowed her the incredibly valuable extra time.’
‘The world without her is unacceptable, but we are having to accept it. We will hold her close forever,’ it concluded
Much of the former Bachelor star’s Instagram was devoted to stunning photos of herself, as well as her own photography, but toward the end of her life she documented her cancer journey in stark yet hopeful posts.
In one post from October 2023, she showed off her bare head after having lost her hair to cancer treatments as she received an infusion.
‘A rare moment caught smiling during treatment :),’ she captioned the post.
Hailey was eliminated on week 2 of The Bachelor; pictured in a publicity photo for season 21
A statement on her GoFundMe said she was told she had ‘nine months to not even think about cancer’ after a bone marrow transplant appeared successful, ‘but in truth she only had 6 weeks before she got the terrible news that leukemia cells were back and moving fast’
In a cheerful mirror selfie posted on November 4, a day after her birthday, she grinned while flaunting her figure in low-rise pants, a sheer green top and a fur-lned gray suede jacket while wearing a thick, fuzzy brown hat
She wrote, ’31,’ while including an emoji of a birthday cake covered in candles. ‘And not the f***ing last,’ she added, though she tragically did not live to see her 32nd birthday
In a cheerful mirror selfie posted on November 4, a day after her birthday, she grinned while flaunting her figure in low-rise pants, a sheer green top and a fur-lined gray suede jacket, along with a thick, fuzzy brown hat.
She wrote, ’31,’ while including an emoji of a birthday cake covered in candles.
‘And not the f***ing last,’ she added, though she tragically did not live to see her 32nd birthday.
Merkt’s GoFundMe will remain open until August 10, with donations going to her mother, Michele Merkt.