Faith Martin Lost Her Ex-Husband Before She Filmed 'The Golden Bachelor'

The Gist:

• Faith Martin is a contestant on The Golden Bachelor.
• She was married to her ex-husband for 20 years before they divorced.
• Faith's ex, Brett, died one year before she filmed the dating show.

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Golden Bachelor.

During the series premiere of The Golden Bachelor, several contestants opened up about their love lives, specifically their past partners. Theresa Nist revealed that her husband passed away nine years ago, while Leslie Fhima said she was married twice for seven years (she also dated Prince).

But what about Faith Martin, the woman who earned Gerry Turner's first impression rose? Here's everything we know about her ex-husband, Brett Coffey Martin.

Gerry's frontrunner, Faith Martin, was married to her ex-husband for 20 years before they divorced. Brett worked as a nuclear chemical operator until his sudden death on Aug. 13, 2022. He was 61 years old.

On Aug. 15, 2022, Faith paid tribute to Brett on Facebook: "It's weird how when we LOVE someone we can never UN-Love them… The pain of loss can feel unbearable," she wrote.

"Brett Martin came into my life when I was 19 years old," Faith added. "When we finally kissed and got married 8 days after! We were married 20 years and raised the most AMAZING souls on earth together."

The high school teacher and singer continued, "Brett was a wonderful Father, a hard worker, an incredible friend to so many people, and the most impactful person of my life! We basically grew up together and remained close and were there for each other even after our marriage ended."

She continued, "He was an AMAZING Grandfather and 'Big Papa,' and his giant size 16 shoes he wore with passion will NEVER be filled! We will find the blessings in the life he lived always with US!"

According to documents obtained by The U.S. Sun, Brett was on the phone with several family members before he fell into a 41-inch "deep outdoor window well." He initially "declined to have help called for him," but after a few minutes, Brett started having trouble breathing and told them to call 911.

Not long after, Brett fell unconscious and appeared to be "snoring." When the authorities finally arrived at the scene, it was too late. An investigator found Brett "at the bottom of the window well." With help from the fire department, they were able to retrieve his body from the well.

The family said Brett was a heavy drinker and a smoker. His death was ruled an accident due to "positional asphyxia."

Nearly a week later, a "Celebration of Life" for Brett was held in Benton City, Wash., a place he called home for over 30 years before moving to Idaho. The all-day event was hosted by Brett and Faith's sons, Nick and Brenden.

Catch new episodes of The Golden Bachelor on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Stream the next day on Hulu.