Sydney publicist Jai Evans was ‘under the pump’ at work and told a friend he ‘needed a drink tonight’ at a dinner weeks before he died in his inner-city apartment.
Evans, 43, who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lara Worthington during his days as a party-hopping PR in the 2000s, was found dead this week in the apartment he was renting at the high-rise Horizon complex in Darlinghurst.
No cause of death was revealed, but the PR industry was abuzz with rumours on Friday that his body may have been lying in the unit for days before its discovery. Police silenced the speculation by confirming in a statement he died on Wednesday.
A source last night told Daily Mail Australia Evans was under pressure professionally after losing a string of clients and was possibly under some financial strain.
‘Before he died, he was under the pump with a big client and needed to deliver for them. He was always under pressure,’ said the insider, who last spoke to Evans in person at a dinner in Potts Point, Sydney, on August 22.
During that dinner, Evans remarked that he ‘needed a drink’ despite having recently spoken of being sober.
‘He also told friends he had a court matter coming up that he was stressed about,’ the source added. The nature of this legal issue remains unclear.
Despite having two decades of PR experience under his belt, Evans had apparently ‘lost a few clients lately’. The insider added: ‘From what I could tell he was not getting new clients, just working with his existing ones.’
Sydney publicist Jai Evans, who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lara Worthington (left) during his days as a party-hopping PR in the 2000s, was found dead this week in the apartment he was renting at the high-rise Horizon complex in Darlinghurst. (Pictured in 2005)
Evans’ (right) last public appearance was at a dinner in Potts Point, Sydney, on August 22, which he attended with several MAFS contestants, including Layton Mills (left). A guest at the dinner told Daily Mail Australia that Evans, 43, had seemed ‘under the pump’ with work and had remarked that he ‘needed a drink’ despite having recently spoken of being sober
Evans lived the high life, renting an upscale unit in the Horizon building – ‘which can’t have been cheap’ – leading the source to suspect he may have had money troubles.
One of his last PR jobs was helping Married At First Sight stars Duncan James and Evelyn Ellis ‘hard launch’ their real-life relationship after being paired with other people on the Channel Nine dating show.
Daily Mail Australia understands his partnership with James and Ellis did not last.
In the period leading up to his death, Evans’ friends and acquaintances had begun to worry that the ‘social butterfly’ would fall off the radar for several days at a time.
‘He was social but could turn it on and off. He would fall off the radar and make his Instagram private when he was under the pump,’ one said.
One of his last PR jobs was helping MAFS stars Duncan James (left) and Evelyn Ellis (right) ‘hard launch’ their real-life relationship after being paired with other people on the Channel Nine dating show. Daily Mail Australia understands his partnership with James and Ellis did not last
One insider fondly remembered Evans for his ‘gift of the gab’ and said he was always the man to ask if you needed to talk your way out of a situation.
‘It’s such sad news that he’s gone,’ they added.
It’s unclear if Evans was using drugs at the time of his death; however, he was known for taking ‘dexies’ – a type of stimulant medication used for the treatment of ADHD – and would ‘hand them out like Tic Tacs’ at parties.
Evans’ last public appearance was at the aforementioned Potts Points dinner on August 22, which he attended alongside several well-known MAFS contestants.
After the news of his death emerged on Friday afternoon, unsavoury rumours began to circulate about when Evans died and how long his body lay undiscovered for.
One friend told Daily Mail Australia he died last Sunday but was not found until Thursday, but The Daily Telegraph reported he was found dead last Saturday.
But when contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia, a NSW Police spokesman confirmed Wednesday was Evans’ date of death.
‘Officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command will prepare a report for the information of the Coroner regarding the death of a 43-year-old man at a unit in Darlinghurst on 4 September 2024,’ they said.
‘Police will not be making any further comment about the matter.’
His cause of death is unknown, but police who attended the scene reportedly found there were ‘no apparent suspicious circumstances’.
When police say a death is not suspicious, this means they have found evidence that indicates there was no third party involved and no crime was committed.
Bondi fitness entrepreneur Dan Wootton confirmed the news of Evans’ death, while DJ Shiralee Coleman also took to Instagram to pay tribute (she is pictured with him in May 2023)
Bondi fitness entrepreneur Dan Wootton confirmed the news of Evans’ death on Friday in a heartfelt tribute shared to social media.
‘RIP, Jai Evans. Another beautiful friend taken much too soon before his time,’ Dan wrote, alongside a photo of Evans in happier times.
‘Your vibrant energy and eagerness to help was second to none. Rest easy, Jai. Love you, mate.’
DJ Shiralee Coleman also took to her Instagram Stories to pay tribute to Evans, sharing a recent photograph of them together.
‘Rest in peace darling, I’m sure you’re showing them how it’s done in the heavens,’ the model and musician penned.
She added that her DJ set at celebrity hotspot Nobu on Friday evening would be dedicated to Evans, adding: ‘I know how much he loved our Nobu nights.’
Evans had more than two decades of experience in the public relations industry and worked with hundreds of media companies to help with their PR strategies.
Throughout his celebrated career, he founded his own business, Evans Media, in 2005, and worked as an advertising manager, publicist, magazine publisher, editor and all-round public relations expert.
Evans helped many key players in Australian media, including Channel Nine, Sky News, News Limited, BRW and Vogue, achieve their marketing goals.
The talent expert also boasted a host of famous friends, including model Lara Worthington and e-commerce queen Anastasia Fai Kogan.
Evans lived the high life, renting an upscale unit in the Horizon building (pictured) – ‘which can’t have been cheap’ – leading the source to suspect he may have had money troubles
Evans had more than two decades of experience in the public relations industry. He founded his own business, Evans Media, in 2005, and worked with hundreds of media companies to help with their PR strategies. He is pictured with events manager Lucia Labbate in May 2008
He also briefly had an acting career, appearing on Home and Away in 1997.
Fellow publicist Roxy Jacenko, who rose to fame in the Sydney PR scene alongside Evans two decades ago, praised him as a ‘real networker’.
‘He was like me, one of a new wave of PRs,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘He always had the best-looking bevy of girls to bring to events [and was] always up to try something different.’
Amusingly, a friend of Evans’ contacted Daily Mail Australia when they saw Jacenko’s quotes in the Telegraph to make it clear the two of them were not friends.
‘He’d be rolling in his grave to see that,’ they said. ‘He didn’t like her [Jacenko] at all.’
