Contestant of ABC TV's 'The Bachelorette' dies in Utah accident

[April 24, 2014]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — A contestant on the upcoming season of ABC's reality TV show "The Bachelorette" has died, the program's producers said on Wednesday.

Eric Hill had been in a coma after suffering injuries in a paragliding accident in Utah on Sunday, according to People magazine, citing Hill's family.

"We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our friend, Eric Hill," Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show for Walt Disney's ABC network, said in a statement.

"Eric inspired us every day with his passion, his courage and his adventurous spirit, and for that we are very thankful," the statement added.

Hill was injured after his parachute collapsed, People said. The magazine said he was 31.

In February 2013, Hill had begun an attempt to travel to every country in the world in fewer than 1,200 days. According to Hill's website, he had visited more than 25 countries.

Hill grew up in Citrus Heights, California, near Sacramento and graduated from Utah's Brigham Young University with a degree in human biology, his website said.

The upcoming season of "The Bachelorette," in which a woman chooses a possible husband from a group of 25 men, is set to air next month.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Jonathan Oatis)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.