Bachelorette Alum Clint Arlis Dead at 34
Bachelor Nation has lost one of its own.
Clint Arlis, who competed for Kaitlyn Bristowe's heart on the 11th season of The Bachelorette, has died at age 34, according to his sister Taylor.
"It is with great sadness, to tell you that my family has lost my best friend and older brother Clint on the morning of January 11th," she wrote on Facebook. "Please respect our family's privacy as we try to cope with this great loss."
Taylor said details on the service will follow and provided no information on his cause of death.
While Bachelorette viewers will know Clint for the slogan "villains gotta vill," his co-stars remember him as a "very kind, unique, and talented person," Nick Viall wrote on Twitter.
"Just heard about the passing of Clint Arlis," the Bachelor star said. "I got a chance to get know Clint a little after our time on Kaitlyns season and I always enjoy are time and conversations." He added that Clint "was taken from this world far too soon."
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Meanwhile, his family friends considered him to be a "fierce competitor" and a "devoted friend," in the words of the wrestling coach at his high school.
Batavia High School coach Scott Bayer confirmed his passing with a tribute on Twitter on Jan. 13. "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," he said.
Bayer described him as the "beloved son" of fellow coach Tom Arlis and his wife, Jamie. He said the architectural engineer was a "protective" and "loving" older brother to his sister, Taylor, and the "boyhood idol and best friend of his kid brother," Logan.
"He was [a] talented artist with a sharp wit, a sardonic sense of humor and palpable authenticity," he wrote. "The heartfelt speech he dedicated to his dad at his retirement celebration made me proud to know both of them."
Clint formed a friendship with contestant JJ Lane before being eliminated in week three of his run of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2015. Kaitlyn went on to accept Shawn Booth's proposal but they ultimately split in 2018.
She got engaged to Jason Tartick last May, telling ET at the time, "It was everything I could have asked for... The words that came out of his mouth were insanely beautiful. We've never locked eyes like that in our lives. We were holding hands, so intense, and I was listening to his every word, but still blacked out."