A truly bizarre series of events surrounding "Bachelorette" contestant Josh Seiter, as the former reality star is actually alive, claiming his Instagram account was hacked ... after a full statement was posted announcing his death.
Seiter just posted a video, proving he's alive and well ... telling his followers he'd lost access to his Instagram account for 24 hours.
It was Monday afternoon when a lengthy statement was posted to Josh's Instagram saying, in part, "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the tragic news of Joshua's unexpected passing. As all who knew him can attest, Joshua was an incredibly bright light in an increasingly dim world." That post has now been deleted.
Josh says whoever hacked his account was playing a "cruel joke" and mocking his previous struggles with mental illness. He apologizes for the pain the alleged hacker caused ... and says he and his team are working to determine who posted the message.
What Josh doesn't make clear is why it took him 20 hours to address the hack, as multiple outlets across the globe published the story based on the statement.
Seiter -- who was eliminated on the first week of Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2015 -- has been open and honest about his struggles with his mental health over the years -- including bouts of depression and anxiety.
We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.