The Bachelor's Hailey Merkt Dead at 31 After Cancer Battle

Bachelor Nation is mourning a tragic loss.

Hailey Merkt, who appeared in Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor, died on July 26 following a battle with leukemia. She was 31.

“It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life,” read a July 30 post shared to her Instagram profile. “Hailey faced this journey with unimaginable strength, grace, and selflessness. 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.”

And while sharing the tragic news, the loved ones who wrote the message took a moment to reflect on Hailey’s profound impact and legacy, expressing gratitude she will live on in all who knew her.

“She will forever be remembered as anything but boring, always hysterically funny, and as someone who lived fully in the present moment,” the post continued. “Hailey embraced life with an unmatched zest; her beautiful spirit has touched countless lives. Her laughter, her love, and her vibrant spirit have left an undeniable mark on our hearts.”

Many of Hailey’s fellow Bachelor Nation members soon shared their grief and expressed their condolences in the post’s comment section.

“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,” wrote fellow season 21 contestant Danielle Maltby. “Forever grateful for your friendship there and in the real world…. What a force my girl, rest easy.”

Similarly, Nick’s ex-fiancée Vanessa Grimaldi wrote, “This news broke me. You are such a light, your beautiful big smile will always be something I remember. Always. Rest easy, friend!  Sending big hugs to your loved ones xoxo.”

Following Hailey’s passing, additional details were shared to her GoFundMe page—the proceeds of which will now go entirely to Hailey’s mother Michele, who acted as her daughter’s caretaker—where Hailey had shared updates about her health battle in the past.

“After the bone marrow transplant had taken, she was told she had nine months to not even think about cancer,” read the most recent update on the page, which shared the news of Hailey’s passing, “but in truth she only had 6 weeks before she got the terrible news that leukemia cells were back and moving fast. 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.’”

The news of Hailey’s death comes after she shared an encouraging update in April, sharing she was cancer free following a stem cell transplant from her brother Kyle.

“I still have a ton of healing,” Hailey wrote in her message. “My immunity will be the same as a newborn up till 12 months post transplant, so I'll be slowly and carefully be getting better day by day.”

She continued, “I am eternally grateful and in awe of my community, family, and friends. For a really bad situation with pretty low odds and a long time of pain, I am so thankful for the love and selflessness of everyone that has supported me.”

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