Overview

• Dance partner Ralf Lepehne announced Wentink’s death and said he had privately battled depression.
• He was 46 years old, and Sunday World reported he died in Bangkok, a detail not yet independently confirmed.
• Shirley Ballas posted an Instagram tribute remembering Wentink as a dear friend who felt like family.
• Wentink earned international acclaim as a Latin dance champion and later became a fashion designer and TV personality, including a judging role on Strictly Come Dancing South Africa.
• The exact cause and full circumstances of his death have not been disclosed as tributes continue from the dance community.