SAN DIEGO — The parents of former Bachelorette contestant Julien Hug are speaking out on their son's death, confirming that he committed suicide earlier in the week in a remote area of the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California.
"In his letter to us he stated that he was suffering from acute depression and he felt it was his only way out," prominent San Diego restaurateurs Bertrand and Denise Hug told People magazine in a statement Friday. "While publicly outgoing he was an extremely private person who internalized everything."
Hug's body was found about 11 a.m. Wednesday in a remote area off Highway 74 near Pinyon Pines. He had dinner with his family on Sunday night and was reported missing the following day after he failed to turn up at the family's new restaurant, Augusta Modern in Palm Desert.
"Our son meant the world to us and this came as a complete shock," the Hugs said. "We are beyond devastated and completely distraught. … What we saw was his thirst for life with fast cars, motorcycles and his love of skydiving."
The reality star's parents came forward because they were "devastated by some of the comments" surfacing in the media.
"What we see now is the immense amount of love that everyone has for him," his parents said. "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."
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