Chad Spodick -- a contestant on "Finding Prince Charming" who progressed pretty far during the show's one and only season -- has died.

A close friend to Chad tells TMZ ... the reality star died Wednesday. The cause of death was not shared.

Chad's family friend Kate Werbowski set up a GoFundMe to help out Chad's mother with funeral expenses and expenses related to his five pets ... and, on the page, she calls his death "sudden and heartbreaking" in the post. GoFundMe

Spodick encouraged those around him to grow and to believe in themselves, Webowski writes ... adding he loved his animals -- his four dogs and his bird, Cosmo. Webowski did not reveal a cause of death.

Chad was one of the 13 men who appeared in the 2016 show "Finding Prince Charming" -- a show like "The Bachelor" --

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