Lachlan Rofe, a reality television contestant who appeared on Channel Nine’s Married At First Sight and Farmer Wants A Wife, has died suddenly at the age of 47, his family and friends confirmed on social media on Thursday. No cause of death has been announced.

Rofe, who also used the surname McAleer, first came to public attention on the debut season of Married At First Sight in 2015, where he was paired with Clare Tamas. He later appeared on Farmer Wants A Wife in 2016 and was known as a cattle farmer living on a property in Cawdor, near Camden in New South Wales.

Tributes from friends and former co-stars flowed on social media after word of his death. Media and family posts confirmed his passing but provided no further details. Police and coronial authorities had not released statements by Thursday evening.

Rofe’s time in the public eye included several high-profile controversies. In 2017 he was found guilty of assaulting his then-girlfriend, Casey Williams, in front of her two-year-old daughter after a night of heavy drinking and was placed on a 12-month good-behaviour bond. He appealed the conviction and a magistrate later overturned the guilty verdict. At the time, Rofe said he sought to clear his name, telling reporters, "Being a man of principle, I chose to clear my name," and that the episode had left him wary of public life.

Public interest in Rofe’s personal life continued after his television appearances. He was linked to fellow Farmer Wants A Wife contestant Belinda Reid and to Natalie Cepenuik, a pig hunter whose social-media posts had drawn criticism. After the Farmer Wants A Wife finale, Rofe and Reid appeared to separate within 24 hours; Rofe later told TV Week that long distance had been a factor, saying the couple had "tried back and forth" but the distance made it difficult.

His family property was the subject of a separate investigation in 2016 over alleged illegal tree clearing, which Rofe denied. He told reporters at the time that "everything has been cleared in line with legislation; people are just jealous of me because I've got fame." The investigation did not lead to published criminal charges.

Friends described Rofe as a cattle farmer who drew intense public attention after his television appearances. There was no immediate information on funeral arrangements or whether a formal inquiry will be opened into the circumstances of his death. Further details are expected as family statements or official reports are released.