Hailey Merkt, a competitor on season 21 of The Bachelor, has died. She was 31.
After a long battle with leukemia, Merkt passed away on July 26, 2024. Merkt’s Instagram account shared a statement about her passing on July 30, writing, “It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life. Hailey faced this journey with unimaginable strength, grace, and selflessness.”
The post continued, “She will forever be remembered as anything but boring, always hysterically funny, and as someone who lived fully in the present moment. Hailey embraced life with an unmatched zest; 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. While we grieve her loss, we find comfort in knowing that her spirit will live on in all the lives she touched.”
Merkt appeared on The Bachelor in 2017 alongside bachelor Nick Viall. Several of her fellow Bachelor alums offered their condolences on the post like season 21 winner Vanessa Grimaldi, who wrote, “This news broke me. You are such a light, your beautiful big smile will always be something I remember. Always. Rest easy, friend!” Fellow Bachelor contestant Danielle Maltby also commented, ” I count myself so lucky to know your laugh and [am] grateful to have met and loved the realest, warmest, most beautiful soul in the weirdest of places… [I’m] forever grateful for your friendship there and in the real world…”
Through updates on her GoFundMe and her Instagram stories, Merkt has shared her journey with cancer and posted in April that she was officially in remission. After her passing, an additional update from organizer Christopher Bennett read, “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.”
Merkt’s family will keep her GoFundMe page open until Aug. 10, 2024 for anyone who wishes to support during this time.