Fans of a former one-time "The Bachelorette" star were shocked and saddened yesterday when an Instagram post on his account announced that he had passed away. 

According to Breitbart, in a shocking update, former contestant Josh Seiter let his fans and friends know that he was not dead, and that a hacker had accessed his account and made the startling post that instantly generated headlines in the entertainment world.

Seiter posted a touching video reassuring his people that he was still alive, and shamed the hacker for exploiting his mental health issues that he says have been a serious struggle in his life.

"I am alive and well.  My account was hacked," Seiter said in the Aug. 29 video.

"For the last 24 hours, I have been trying desperately to get into it. Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness and the struggles I’ve gone through with depression and suicide attempts. And I’m sorry for the pain they caused when they made that post. I just got back into my account. I am going to do all I can with my team to try to identify who is behind this."

He continued, "But again, I apologize for the confusion. And I will update you guys as more facts come in."

The Bachelorette's Josh Seiter is NOT dead: Victim of online hoax https://t.co/oG1LBdgGAD via @DailyMailCeleb

— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) August 29, 2023

Breitbart added:

According to an Instagram post from July 2021, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

There was speculation by some that Seiter might have been involved in the death announcement, though he has strongly denied the accusation.

According to outlets, his ex-girlfriend said she believes the death post was a "stunt." She told Entertainment Weekly that Seiter is a "clout chaser," and guessed that he was involved, also raising suspicious based on how fast he was supposedly able to recover his hacked account, which usually takes much longer than 24 hours.

Seiter issued a response to his former girlfriend's accusations.

"Those are all ridiculous accusations made up by somebody with nothing better to do with their time," an emailed response from Seiter said.

He added, "As a mental health advocate, issues of suicide are very sensitive for me. To suggest that I would orchestrate a death post around that issue is sickening," his message continued. "I have dedicated the last 8 years of my life blogging and raising awareness about mental health, and I will continue to do so. Regardless of what my detractors have to say."

Only time will tell if there's more to this story.