‘The Bachelorette’ Alum Clint Arlis Dead at 34

Clint Arlis, who competed on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette, has died at the age of 34. A family friend announced the sad news on Wednesday,  though a cause of death has not yet been announced. Bachelorette co-star Nick Viall called Arlis a “very kind, unique, and talented person” who was “taken from this world far too soon.”

Arlis was an architectural engineer. His high school wrestling coach Scott Bayer of Batavia, Illinois announced his death in a statement on Twitter. Bayer included memories from Arlis’ time at Batavia High School. “It is with a heavy heart and a sense of profound loss that we announce the death of one of the Batavia Wrestling Program’s All-Time greats, 2005 graduate, Clint Arlis,” Bayer wrote. “Clint was the beloved son of Coach Tom Arlis and his wife, Jamie, protective, loving older brother of his sister, Taylor, and the boyhood idol and best friend of his kid brother, Coach Logan Arlis.”

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Bayer got to know Arlis after he joined his father’s coaching staff in fall 2005 after Arlis graduated. “I have found him to be extraordinarily devoted to his family and deeply committed to the sport wrestling at a level few of us have ever reach[ed] in our careers,” Bayer wrote. “His legacies as a fierce competitor, tireless worker, a caring influence to younger Batavia wrestlers, a devoted friend, and a loving son and brother will resonate far beyond his days in our presence.”

Arlis competed for Bristowe’s heart in The Bachelorette Season 11, but was eliminated during the third week, notes PEOPLE. He developed a friendship with co-star JJ Lane and left an impression on Viall, who remembered his co-star on Twitter Thursday. “Just heard about the passing of Clint Arlis,” Viall wrote. “I got a chance to… know Clint a little after our time on Kaitlyn’s season and I always enjoy [our] time and conversations.A very kind, unique, and talented person who was taken from this world far too soon.RIP Clint.”

Arlis studied architecture at the University of Illinois, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was a production manager at Lendlease and volunteered to mentor Chicago students. Unlike other Bachelor Nation contestants, Arlis retreated from the public spotlight after leaving the show and did not have public social media accounts.

Bristowe’s 2015 season of The Bachelorette ended with her engagement to Shawn Booth. The two broke up in November 2018. Bristowe got engaged to Jason Trawick, a former contestant from Becca Kufrin’s season, in May 2021.