Updates on Past Contestants - All Seasons - Discussion

MVMom39forever wrote:Gia tweeted this during a viewing party for Bachelorette. So sad as it seems to imply she wanted more from her 2-year relationship. Poor lady. RIP.

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Gia Allemand ‏@GiaAllemand  5 Aug  
Chris your words are the words every woman in America wants to hear. You are amazing. #Bachelorette #GetTheRose

staciann ‏@StaciAnn  5 Aug  
@GiaAllemand if by amazing you mean the biggest sucker ever. I totally agree.

Gia Allemand ‏@GiaAllemand  5 Aug  
@StaciAnn sucker or not he stole my heart. And I'm sitting here wishing someone would say that to me #Bachelorette #GetTheRose

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Max64 wrote:This news made me so sad today.  Obviously I didn't know her but she seemed like such a sweet girl, and so well loved by her fellow Bachelor companions.  My heart truly hurts for her family and friends, especially her mother for having to endure this loss.  I have also lost a child to suicide, and I empathize with her mother and family with the pain and loss that is to come.  It's difficult to understand what goes through the mind of someone so distraught  that they would choose death over life, but the only consoling factor is that Gia is finally at peace.   May God be with her always.

pavalygurl wrote:

Max64 wrote:This news made me so sad today.  Obviously I didn't know her but she seemed like such a sweet girl, and so well loved by her fellow Bachelor companions.  My heart truly hurts for her family and friends, especially her mother for having to endure this loss.  I have also lost a child to suicide, and I empathize with her mother and family with the pain and loss that is to come.  It's difficult to understand what goes through the mind of someone so distraught  that they would choose death over life, but the only consoling factor is that Gia is finally at peace.   May God be with her always.

Max,  

Gia Allemand, The Bachelor contestant who competed for Jake Pavelka's heart on season 14, died of an apparent suicide. She was 29.

She was found Monday night in her New Orleans home by her boyfriend, NBA player Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans, her family says in a statement.

Anderson called 911 and Allemand was transported to the hospital, where she was in critical condition on life support.

"Due to a critical loss of brain and organ function, life support was withdrawn" on Wednesday, the family statement says. "Ms. Allemand passed away peacefully with her mother, boyfriend, and other lifelong friends by her side. As a practicing Christian, Gia did receive the sacrament of last rites."

"Loved ones and fans will remember Gia Allemand as a caring woman who loved her family and was well-known for her compassion towards animals and mission to rescue homeless pets."

Allemand was one of Pavelka's top three contestants. She was also on two seasons of the spin-off series Bachelor Pad and modeled for Maxim.

Just a week before her death, Allemand seemed "in good spirits and appeared healthy" at an event on Aug. 5, according to a Tweet Tuesday by Ali Fedotowsky, who appeared alongside her on Pavelka's season.

Allemand – a New York native – had been working as a Pure Barre instructor in New Orleans, where she lived with Anderson.

"Gia you are my angel," season 14 winner Vienna Girardi Tweeted Wednesday. "You changed so many lives with your beautiful soul and will be missed and loved forever."

Jake Pavelka of The Bachelor on Gia Allemand's Death: 'I Am in Complete Shock'
By MONICA RIZZO
08/14/2013 at 05:30 PM EDT

Jake Pavelka had to pull his car over to the side of the road because he couldn't stop crying when he learned castmate Gia Allemand had died.

Allemand, who was taken off life support Wednesday after an apparent suicide attempt, was "an angel," he tells PEOPLE.

"I am in complete shock and devastated to hear the news about Gia," says Pavelka, who romanced Allemand, 29, on season 14 of The Bachelor. "She was one of the sweetest people I have ever known. And a very dear friend. My heart goes out to her family during this very difficult time. We have lost an angel today."

The model and actress, who also appeared on two seasons of Bachelor Pad, was found in her New Orleans home on Monday by her boyfriend, NBA player Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans, her family says in a statement. He called 911 and Allemand was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

RELATED: Bachelor Contestants and Stars Tweet Reactions Following Death of Gia Allemand

Family, friends and fans are mourning the loss of the New York native, who had been working as a Pure Barre instructor in New Orleans, where she lived with Anderson.

"I'm shocked right now," former Bachelorette star Ed Swiderski tells PEOPLE. "I was just with her last week. We were all in New York together and I just can't believe it."

"She could not have been in better spirits when I saw her seven days ago. She could not have been more of a crisp, clean person. She just defined a healthy-looking person."

Swiderski says the Bachelor "family" is at a loss for words.

"Everyone is freaking out," he adds. "I'm getting calls from all over. We're all in shock. She was, it's hard to say 'was' because I just saw her, a beautiful soul. Not only was she a beautiful person, but she was super sweet. She was so full of life. It's just so sad."