Jason Hitch, one of the stars of the second season of the TLC series "90 Day Fiancé," has died at age 45 after a battle with COVID-19.
The TV personality’s sister, Shannon, confirmed to TMZ that he died Tuesday in the ICU at an undisclosed Florida hospital due to complications from the virus and possibly "other factors." Hitch, who was unvaccinated, was surrounded by his family. To their knowledge, he did not suffer from any pre-existing conditions.
Shannon described her brother, who was a first lieutenant in the Army reserves in Florida, as a "true and honest shooter, a great officer, and leader to his men."
Hitch appeared in "90 Day Fiancé" in 2014. The show follows hopeful couples who have applied for or received their K-1 visas and must get married within 90 days to stay in the U.S. Hitch married Cássia Tavares, a Brazilian woman who had moved to the U.S. to be with him. They divorced in 2017. A year later, Hitch opened up about the split during an interview with RadarOnline.
"A successful relationship is communication, physical attraction, and doing whatever it takes," he said. "Right now it’s time to go in different directions. I think we’ll remain friends. She knows I have her best interests at heart."
Hitch also defended allegations that Tavares had married him to obtain U.S. citizenship.
"She did not come here just to become an American citizen," he said. "She had a good life in Brazil. She was about to finish college. She didn’t have to marry me."
RadarOnline noted however that in January 2017 Hitch was arrested for domestic battery against Tavares.
"Cassia Tavares and her husband, Jason Hitch, began arguing over marital issues while lying in bed," the reporting officer wrote in the police report obtained by the outlet. "Jason then grabbed Tavares by her left arm, leaving a mark, and then pushed Rita off of the bed causing her to fall to the floor. Jason then began screaming at Tavares to the point Tavares was in fear and dialed 911 for law enforcement."
Hitch reportedly later told the officer that "nothing happened," according to RadarOnline.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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