A former Jeopardy! contestant has passed away.
Laurin Bell, 41, appeared on the weeknight trivia show in 2023.
Laurin was found deceased on March 23, per a Florida Medical Examiner’s Office spokesperson, as The U.S. Sun reports.
The spokesperson told the outlet that Laurin’s death was ruled a suicide and “An autopsy has been performed, and toxicology testing is underway.”
Word of Laurin’s untimely passing soon spread across headlines and on social media.
One of Laurin’s friends, John Urbancik, shared the news on Facebook.
Laurin’s friend announced her passing on social media
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to let everyone know Laurin Bell decided to end her life last night,” he wrote in a post on Monday.
“She was a brilliant, funny, and beautiful soul,” John continued. “Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers as they process this loss.”
As John also noted, Laurin’s 14-year-old dog, Kinley, was taken to the pound, where she is awaiting a new owner.
John’s announcement made its way to Reddit, where a Jeopardy! fan uploaded a screenshot of the Facebook post in a thread captioned, “Rest in Peace to J! Contestant, Laurin Bell.”
In the comments section, fellow Redditors and Jeopardy! fans paid homage to Laurin’s life.
Jeopardy! viewers react to Laurin’s death
“May she rest in peace,” wrote u/Rfbmi.
Another added, “May her memory be a blessing to all who knew her. And may she be remembered well and fondly. Hopefully she’s at peace.”
A third Redditor called Laurin’s passing “heartbreaking ” and expressed hope that someone would be able to take in her dog.
Laurin’s friend shares her last Facebook post
Laurin’s friend, John, also shared a montage of photos in his post announcing her passing.
One of the uploads seemed to be Laurin’s last post on social media.
She wrote, “Well everyone, I’m signing off from life. See you on the other side.”
Laurin appeared on Jeopardy! on February 14, 2023.
She uploaded her official Jeopardy! promo photo to her Facebook profile on February 3, just 11 days before her television debut.
As her friends and followers acknowledged in the comments, they were excited to see Laurin check something “big” off her bucket list.
One of Laurin’s friends called her their “hero,” and another added, “I can say I know someone that’s been on tv beautiful pic.”