The Bachelor Season 21 Star Hailey Merkt Dies At 31

The Bachelor alum Hailey Merkt died at the age of 31 on Friday, July 26, following a brave battle with leukemia.

Merkt’s family announced her passing in a statement shared on Instagram, which read, “It is with broken hearts we share that our beloved Hailey has passed away after a courageous fight for her life.” Along with a collage of photographs of Merkt, the caption added that she spent her “final moments surrounded by loved ones and doing what she cherished most with no regrets.”

“She will forever be remembered as anything but boring, always hysterically funny, and as someone who lived fully in the present moment,” the statement continued. “Hailey embraced life with an unmatched zest; her beautiful spirit has touched countless lives.”

Merkt appeared as a contestant on Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor in 2017. Following the announcement of her death on July 30, several fellow Bachelor Nation stars have shared tributes online.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so so sad to hear this,” Merkt’s Bachelor co-star Raven Gates wrote on Instagram. “I was so hoping for her recovery. Rest easy, Hailey. You’ll never be forgotten.”

Season 21 star Danielle Maltby also paid tribute, writing, “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 …. What a force my girl, rest easy.”

“My love, I hope you are in the most beautiful peaceful place,” Bachelor alum Dominique Alexis commented. “I can’t imagine that I won’t see you again but I’ll cherish every memory together. Love you.”

Merkt first shared her leukemia diagnosis in October 2023, posting a photograph of herself undergoing treatment on Instagram. In April, the reality star said she was “leukemia free” on her GoFundMe page. Following her death on July 26, a statement was posted on the fundraising page.

“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,” the update read. “The world without her is unacceptable, but we are having to accept it. We will hold her close forever.”

Merkt’s GoFundMe page remains open, and donations aim to cover the “remaining costs that have overwhelmed Hailey’s mother and family.”