This week, rumors began to circulate among fans of the reality TV franchise 90 Day Fiancé, regarding the possible death of a former cast member, Azan Tefou.
Tefou, whose real name is Hassan M’Raouni, is a Moroccan national who appeared in season four of the original series, alongside then-girlfriend and later fiancé Nicole Nefziger, who hails from Florida in the United States.
Nafziger made a post on social media that sparked the speculation, which contained an image that seemed to allude to, but not directly confirm that her former partner and co-star on the reality series had died at just 32 years old. Nicole has kept quiet on the subject since then, and no other stars from the 90 Day Universe have paid tribute to the Moroccan. So is there any truth to this rumor?
Why do people think Azan Tefou died?
Those familiar with Azan and Nicole’s time on 90 Day Fiancé know that Nicole’s relationship with the truth is similar to her relationship with Azan – fraught at best. Azan’s former fiancé, who split from the Moroccan native in 2021, has been known to post clickbait and fake news on social media. In the past, she’s claimed to be pregnant, and oddly enough, dead – to generate clicks to a link in her bio, which Nafziger has said helps her generate income from an unknown sponsor. On the show, she claimed to run businesses that didn’t exist and was also selectively truthful to Azan about dating other men in the early stages of their relationship.
Although a proven unreliable narrator, the former reality star has shared aspects of her life on social media, including job and family updates. This week, she captioned a black and white image of her and Azan on her Instagram story, with the hashtags #RIP (Rest In Peace) and #LinkInBio, which led to an article about celebrities who died in 2023.
Nicole’s history of clickbait, explained
Oddly enough, this is not the first time Nafziger has posted an image of Azan with “Rest in Peace” in the caption. Nicole posted a similar image in late 2021, leading to a story about the recent death of fellow 90 Day Fiancé alum Jason Hitch, reading “#RIP Heartbroken to confirm he DIED 💔 #LinkInBio.” The post resulted in condemnation from 90 Day viewers and by Hitch’s ex-wife, Cassia Tavares, for using Jason’s death as clickbait for personal gain, as well as a subsequent apology from Nafziger – although she hasn’t changed her ways much since then.
Nafziger had also posted misleading claims about Angela Deem, another 90 Day Fiancé star. Nicole posted an image of Angela lying in bed (which actually came from an old 90 Day episode), captioned “Pray for Angela AFTER DEVASTATING update,” the caption said. In reality, Angela’s health was completely fine, and she was simply recovering from successful weight loss surgery. The 30-year-old also posted an image of herself crying from an episode of 90 Day Fiancé with more #RIP #LinkInBio tags, leading to a story about Angela’s mother passing away.
In another instance of bad taste, Nicole also alluded to a pregnancy that wasn’t actually true, and false pregnancy announcements – especially when profiting off them – are deemed to be offensive to those who have had pregnancy-related struggles and losses.
Azan hasn’t posted on social media in over three years, around the time of his break-up with Nicole, and the Moroccan hasn’t addressed whether or not the rumors of his death have, in fact, been exaggerated.
So, did Azan actually die?
There’s no reason – other than Nicole’s bizarre Instagram post – to believe that Azan has died, especially at a young age in his thirties. Even the post Nicole directed followers to – a listicle about stars we lost last year – does not name Azan as a deceased person. The fact that Nicole has used this trick in the past shows that she is not to be trusted on the matter.
No one else connected to Azan – such as his family, friends, or ex-90 Day Fiancé co-stars – has put out any kind of statement claiming that he has died. When 90 Day Fiancé cast members have died in the past, most notably season 2 alum Jason Hitch it has been widely reported on, with confirmations from sources close to the deceased.
