ABCIn case this story wasn't sad enough...
The parents of Julien Hug, the one-time Bachelorette contestant whose body was found in the San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday morning, revealed Friday that their son committed suicide—and left a farewell note.
"In his letter to us he stated that he was suffering from acute depression and he felt it was his only way out," Bertrand and Denise Hug said in a statement to People. "While publicly outgoing he was an extremely private person who internalized everything."
Hug was the second suitor to be excused on the fifth season of The Bachelorette. Jillian Harris tweeted her regrets yesterday, writing, "Please say a prayer for the loss of a friend...Life is fragile, don't forget to love the ones you love."
The Hugs said that they are speaking out because they are "devastated by some of the comments that are coming out."
"Our son meant the world to us and this came as a complete shock," they continued. "We are beyond devastated and completely distraught...What we saw was his thirst for life with fast cars, motorcycles and his love of skydiving.
"What we see now is the immense amount of love that everyone has for him. Anyone close to Julien is receiving an extreme outpouring of concern via text, email and messages. This is an honored tribute to what an amazing person he was and we thank everyone for their love, prayers and continued support.
"To us Julien was as beautiful inside as he was outside and we wish to have him remembered in this way, a way he deserves and would appreciate, not by false comments from people outside the family. No one he has touched will ever forget him, most of all us."
Hug's body was discovered after authorities spotted his car parked on a forest service access road and was transported out of a remote wooded area by helicopter the following day.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said yesterday that foul play was not suspected.