Gia Allemand, a former contestant on ABC’s, ‘The Bachelor,’ has died after a suicide attempt in New Orleans on Monday evening; she was 29.
Gia was found hanging at her home by her boyfriend Ryan Anderson, an NBA player for the New Orleans Pelicans. Reports say that he cut the Allemand down at which point she was rushed to University Hospital in the New Orleans area. On Monday night she was put on life support and listed as being in critical condition.
Ms. Allemand’s rep first addressed media reports with a statement to ABC News, saying that the model/actress had experienced a “serious emergency medical event.” She also asked, “On behalf of the family, we kindly ask for privacy at this time. Further statements will be released as more information becomes available.”
On Wednesday Gia’s rep released a statement saying, “Due to a critical loss of brain and organ function, life support was withdrawn today. Ms. Allemand passed away peacefully with her mother, boyfriend, and other life-long friends by her side. As a practicing Christian, Gia did receive the sacrament of final rites.”
Gia Allemand was a model and actress before and after her stints on ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelor Pad,’ both in 2010. She starred in several television commercials as a child and studied acting while at Hartford University. She has also appeared in the men’s magazine, ‘Maxim.’
Allemand was the last contestant to be sent home before Jake Pavelka narrowed his choices down to two in the 2010 season of ABC’s hit reality dating show. She also appeared on that year’s season of ‘Bachelor Pad,’ a spin-off show in which former ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ contestants live in a house together for several weeks.
Several of Gia’s fellow ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelor Pad’ castmates and friends addressed the sad news via social media sites such as Twitter. Jake Pavelka’s tweet from today read:
I had to pull over, I can't stop crying. We have lost an angel.
— Jake Pavelka (@jakepavelka1) August 14, 2013
Gia’s boyfriend Ryan Anderson may have summed it up best, releasing a grief-stricken statement outside of the hospital on Wednesday, calling Gia, “the most beautiful person” he knew.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced at this time.