Konrad Bien-Stephen, a contestant on The Bachelorette Australia, has died. He was 35.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Konrad Bien-Stephen,” his management team said in a statement to Variety Australia on Thursday, April 2. “We ask that you respect the privacy of their family during this incredibly difficult time. No further information will be shared at this stage. Our thoughts are with all who loved him.”
The outlet noted that it’s understood Bien-Stephen died on Monday, March 30, in Melbourne. No further details were shared about his death.
Bien-Stephen’s ex-girlfriend Abbie Chatfield paid tribute to the former reality TV star in a statement via her Instagram Story.
“Hi everyone. I have seen the news of Konrad’s death, and I have known the news for a few days now. Thank you to the people reaching out to me to let me know or to send their support,” she wrote. “Obviously this is an incredibly difficult and strange time for me, and I am devastated for Konrad, his friends and his family. And I am heartbroken too. Though we haven’t spoken for years, this is still incredibly difficult.”
She continued, “Please send love and support to Konrad’s friends, family and loved ones. He has many, many people who love him and who he loves too. I am heartbroken for everyone in his life as I know how much he meant to them. And I’m sure to a lot of you, who never met him.”
Chatfield went on to note that Bien-Stephen was “such a kind and sweet person to everyone,” sharing that he was “a very caring man who deserved to live a very, very long life.”
“I am so heartbroken that he doesn’t get to do that,” she wrote. “And that his loved ones don’t get to experience that full, long life with him. I know that Konrad would want people to share love and kindness and if you do anything today, please check in on your mates, do an act of kindness, talk to a friend. Anything. Rest in peace Konrad.”
Bien-Stephen vied for Brooke Blurton’s heart on season 7 of The Bachelorette Australia in 2021, where he placed in third.
“I’m looking for someone to build a future with… Is @brooke.blurton the one?” Bien-Stephen wrote via Instagram at the time, alongside a photo of him smiling.
He went on to date Chatfield after that season. The next year, Bien-Stephen competed on The Challenge Australia.
