Tragedy: Bachelorette Contestant Eric Hill Dies Following Paragliding Accident

Tragedy has struck the set of ABC’s reality series ‘The Bachelorette.’ Eric Hill, an upcoming contestant seeking a rose from Andi Dorfman, was listed as being in critical condition in a Utah hospital on Sunday after part of his parachute collapsed while paragliding. He remained in a medically induced coma until Wednesday, which is when his sister Karen Tracy shared the following message on Facebook:

“Eric shared his final journey with us this morning as all of his immediate family was able to be at his side when he passed away,” she wrote. “Thanks to all of you for your love 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 life fully lived and fully shared and allowed us all to be a part of his last adventure here on earth,” she continued. “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.”

The tragic accident happened after Hill’s elimination for the show. Prior to becoming a contestant on the popular reality TV series, the California native and biology graduate was on a mission to travel to all 195 United Nations-recognized countries within 1200 days and documented his trek on his website, Go with Eric: The Global Odyssey. Before his death, Hill had visited over 50 countries.

Some photos from his philanthropic work and adventures around the world:

A statement from the producers of ‘The Bachelorette’ reads:

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our friend, Eric Hill. Eric inspired us every day with his passion, his courage and his adventurous spirit and for that we are very thankful. On behalf of our cast, crew and producers, we send our love, our thoughts and our prayers to Eric’s family during this difficult time.”

It is not clear how the producers will handle Hill’s appearance on the show when the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ premieres May 19.

One of five brothers and sisters in a close-knit family, Eric Hill was 32.