‘Bachelorette’ Alum Charlie Newling Reportedly Dead at 36

Charlie Newling, a former reality star best known for coming fourth on Australia’s The Bachelorette Season 4 in 2018, passed away at the age of 36. The father-of-two died after his car fell from a cliff in Sydney’s Dover Heights on Saturday night, according to Daily Mail Australia. In a report published by the Daily Mail, Charlie passed away after his car fell from the 70-meter cliff at Dover Heights in Sydney at 11 p.m. on Sept. 9. A local contacted the police after seeing his car on fire at the bottom of the ravine. Police and ambulances responded shortly thereafter. A spokesperson for the New South Wales Police confirmed to news.com.au that police attended the scene of the incident. Around 11 p.m., paramedics attempted to revive him at the Raleigh Reserve in Dover Heights, but he was not able to be saved, the Daily Mail reported. A report is being prepared for the coroner regarding his death, as it is not being treated as suspicious.

Newling’s death comes only eight weeks after his partner, Kristal Taylor, to whom he has been engaged for at least January 2021, gave birth to their daughter. The builder, who had been living in Bronte, also has a 13-year-old son from a previous relationship. Several of Newling’s friends have taken to social media in response to the news that he had tragically passed away in the past week. “I guess you never really know someone is suffering until it’s too late. So always be kind,” one person wrote. Following Newling’s death, Danny Harris-Wolf, one of his co-stars on The Bachelorette, also posted a message on his Instagram Story: “Oh geez, Charlie was a decent bloke to me.”

The fans dubbed him “Mr. Perfect” due to his traditional views, as he was one of the early frontrunners to win Ali Oetjen’s heart on The Bachelorette during his season. However, he faced criticism during the course of the show for being too “controlling.” In the end, he was eliminated following hometown dates after he told Oetjen that meeting his family would not be possible unless they were “exclusive.” After the end of his season, he briefly dated Dasha Gaivoronski, who previously appeared on Season 6 of The Bachelor in Australia, and he then struck up a romance with influencer Esme DeWitt in 2019. His name was relatively out of the spotlight until September last year when he was charged with and convicted of using a carriage service to threaten his stepfather’s life. Consequently, he received a 13-month prison sentence that was to be served in the community.