Chock Chapple Temporarily Leaves 'The Golden Bachelorette' Following Mom's Death (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of The Golden Bachelorette.

We're halfway through the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelorette, and leading lady Joan Vassos is getting closer to finding the second love of her life. The clear frontrunner is Chock Chapple, but Episode 4 hints at an unexpected turn in their relationship.

The day after the group date, where Chock opens up about his struggles with his sick mother, he receives the heartbreaking news that she passed away just hours earlier. The episode concludes with a touching tribute to his mother, Jill Cobb.

Following the preview for the remainder of the season, a tribute appears on the screen reading, "In loving memory of Jill Cobb, MD — 1943-2024."

Details about Chock's mother, Jill, are limited, but she discussed her career in a 2005 interview with The Shocker, the Wichita State University Alumni Magazine. At 27 and a mother of five, Jill enrolled at Wichita State to create a better life for her family and pursue a career that was "interesting, rewarding, and monetarily satisfactory."

During her senior year, she decided to attend medical school, with a clear goal of becoming a forensic pathologist. After completing her medical studies, she worked at the Denver coroner's office in Colorado before becoming the coroner for Arapahoe County.

Her forensic skills took her overseas for the first time in 1989, following the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983: "I helped out in Grenada for Project Hope. That's where I became interested in medicine in developing countries," she recalled, noting, "I have a problem with wanderlust. I won't be happy until I see it all."

After a successful career in Colorado, Jill and her husband George took a year off in 1991 to travel the world, including volunteer work at the Shanti Mangeleck Hospital in Agra, India.

In 1993, they moved to Topeka, Kan., where George served as Shawnee County coroner and Jill worked as a pathologist across the state.

"We worked in Kansas until 1997 when I got this idea to get a degree in international public health at Johns Hopkins," she explained. They also took on roles in California and Washington during this time.

In 1998, Jill braved challenging conditions in Bosnia, assisting with the exhumation and identification of war casualties in the aftermath of the former Yugoslavia's civil war.

She and her husband, George Thomas, worked with Physicians for Human Rights, aligning their professional goals with the organization's main mission: To alleviate the suffering of victims' families by providing answers about their loved ones' fates, thereby offering some peace amid the horrors of war.

Since the series premiere, Chock has been candid about his mother and her illness. In his introduction package, he shares that she encouraged him to put in the work to find love.

Although he feels lonely and yearns for a connection, he grapples with guilt over leaving her, especially since she has stage four cancer. Before he joined the show, he reassured her that if she didn't want him to go, he wouldn't be upset. However, she urged Chock to go on the show, telling him to "live life."

"She's a great lady and I really respect her. She is my hero," Chock says while standing beside his mother in his introduction.

In Episode 4, Joan takes Chock and a few of the other contestants on a group date to raise money for Stand Up to Cancer. During the afterparty, Chock confides in Joan about his struggles with his mother's illness. He shares that the date served as a reminder of her cancer, but he adds that he can't wait to check in with her the next day.

Tragically, Chock never gets the chance to speak with his mom, as she passes away overnight at 4:45 a.m. Crystal, his mother's caregiver, informs Chock that Jill had been in "extreme pain" throughout the day, and she ultimately passed with George by her side.

When he breaks the news to Joan, Chock explains that he needs to return home to check on his family and handle several responsibilities. Joan, who understands all too well, having left Gerry's season of The Golden Bachelor for a family emergency, is supportive yet heartbroken to see him go.

However, by the end of the episode, things take a positive turn as Chock returns, allowing their love story to continue unfolding!

New episodes of The Golden Bachelorette air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Stream the next day on Hulu.