Back in 2009, Kelsey Bateman joined Poison frontman Bret Michaels on his relatively short-lived dating reality show, Rock of Love Bus With Bret Michaels, in which a group of women joined him on tour buses.
Bateman didn't end up as Michaels' girlfriend, as she was sent home in the seventh episode. Michaels ended up choosing Taya Parker, but they didn't last long, either.
Now, TMZ is reporting that Bateman has died at the age of 39. How did she die? The cause of death is not yet clear.
According to TMZ, her death was unexpected.
TMZ reported that, according to unnamed family sources, Bateman "passed away unexpectedly recently." The exact time, date, and circumstances of her alleged death were not clear.
Bateman, of Utah, was only 21 years old when she was on the third and final season of Michaels' reality dating show, according to The New York Post.
Bateman was cut from the show after an incident where she admitted to being "wasted,” a YouTube video of her elimination shows. "I got wasted. I folded under pressure," she admitted, adding, " I want to stay."
“I ended up lying on a speed bump bawling my eyes out, but you know what? I’m here and I’m ready for whatever Bret has to say to me,” she also said, according to The Post. "But I mean, hey, I can’t be the only girl that’s got drunk and laid on a speed bump. Let’s be honest."
However, Michaels eliminated her from the final nine contestants, saying he didn't think she could handle the pressures of the road.
The rocker said that she had admitted she wasn’t sure she could handle it. He noted that, at one point, she was “lying on a speed bump saying you couldn’t handle this any longer.” Michaels told Bateman that she was “beautiful” and “awesome,” but explained he was making the decision to eliminate her for her own good.
In August, Michaels made it clear he's still with his long-time off-and-on partner Kristi Gibson, writing an anniversary tribute to her on his Facebook page.
"A Happy Anniversary Kristi, from then til now and all the great moments in between, including our beautiful daughters Raine and Jorja...Carpe Diem!" he wrote.
