Sydney publicist Jai Evans was “very emotional” at work and told a friend he “needed a drink tonight” at a dinner party 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 hard-partying PR man in the 2000s, was found dead this week in his rented apartment in the Horizon high-rise complex in Darlinghurst.
The cause of death was not disclosed, but there was talk in the public relations industry on Friday that his body may have been in the unit for days before it was discovered. Police quashed speculation by confirming in a statement that he died on Wednesday.
A source told Daily Mail Australia last night that Evans was under… He was under professional pressure after losing a number of clients and possibly under some financial strain.
“Before he died, he was under a lot of pressure with a big client and needed to meet his obligations. He was always under pressure,” said the source, who last spoke to Evans in person at a dinner in Potts Point, Sydney, on August 22.
During that dinner, Evans commented that he “needed a drink” despite having recently talked about being sober.
“He also told friends that he had a pending legal matter that was stressing him out,” the source added. The nature of this legal matter remains unclear.
Despite two decades of PR experience, Evans had apparently “lost a few clients lately.” The source added: “As far as I could see, she wasn’t taking on new clients, she was just working with the ones she already had.”
Sydney publicist Jai Evans, who rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lara Worthington (left) during his days as a party PR man in the 2000s, was found dead this week in his rented apartment in the Horizon high-rise complex in Darlinghurst. (Photograph from 2005)
Evans’ (right) last public appearance was at a dinner party in Potts Point, Sydney, on 22 August, which he attended with several MAFS contestants including Layton Mills (left). A dinner guest told Daily Mail Australia that Evans, 43, appeared to be “under pressure” from work and had commented that he “needed a drink” despite recently saying he was sober.
Evans was living in luxury, renting a luxury unit in the Horizon building, “which can’t have been cheap,” leading the source to suspect he may have been struggling financially..
One of her latest PR jobs was helping Married At First Sight stars Duncan James and Evelyn Ellis “kick-start” their real-life relationship after being paired with other people on the Channel Nine dating show.
Daily Mail Australia understands that his partnership with James and Ellis did not last.
In the run-up to his death, Evans’ friends and acquaintances had begun to worry that the “social butterfly” might disappear from the radar for several days.
“He was social but could do so occasionally. He would disappear from the radar and make his Instagram private when he was under pressure,” one said.
One of her latest PR jobs was helping MAFS stars Duncan James (left) and Evelyn Ellis (right) “kickstart” their real-life relationship after being paired with other people on the Channel Nine dating show. Daily Mail Australia understands her partnership with James and Ellis didn’t last.
A source close to Evans fondly remembered him for his “gift of gab” and said he was always the go-to guy if you needed to talk your way out of a situation.
“It is very sad news that he is gone,” they added.
It is unclear whether Evans was using drugs at the time of his death; however, he was known to take “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 she attended alongside several well-known MAFS contestants.
After news of his death broke on Friday afternoon, nasty rumors began to circulate about when Evans died and how long his body remained undiscovered.
A friend told Daily Mail Australia that he died last Sunday but was not found until Thursday, but The Daily Telegraph reported that he was found dead last Saturday.
But when contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia, a New South Wales Police spokesman confirmed Wednesday was the date of Evans’ death.
“Officers from Kings Cross Area Police Command will prepare a report for the information of the coroner into the death of a 43-year-old man at a unit in Darlinghurst on 4 September 2024,” they said.
‘The police will not comment further on the matter.’
His cause of The cause of death is unknown, but police who responded to the scene found there were “no apparent suspicious circumstances.”
When police say a death is not suspicious, it means they have found evidence that indicates no third parties were 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 appears with him in May 2023).
Bondi fitness entrepreneur Dan Wootton confirmed the news of Evans’ death on Friday in an emotional tribute shared on social media.
“Rest in peace Jai Evans. Another beautiful friend gone too soon before his time,” Dan wrote, alongside a photo of Evans in happier times.
“Your vibrant energy and eagerness to help are unmatched. Rest in peace, Jai. Love you, friend.”
DJ Shiralee Coleman also took to her Instagram Stories to pay tribute to Evans, sharing a recent photo of them together.
Rest in peace darling, I’m sure you’re showing them how it’s done in heaven,” the model and musician wrote.
He added that his DJ set at popular celebrity venue Nobu on Friday night would be dedicated to Evans, adding: “I know how much he loved our nights at Nobu.”
Evans had over two decades of experience in the public relations industry and worked with hundreds of media companies to assist them with their public relations strategies.
Throughout his celebrated career, he founded his own business, Evans Media, in 2005, and He worked as an advertising manager, publicist, magazine editor, copywriter and all-round public relations expert.
Evans has helped many key Australian media players including Channel Nine, Sky News, News Limited, BRW and Vogue achieve their marketing objectives.
The talent expert also boasted a host of famous friends, including model Lara Worthington and e-commerce queen Anastasia Fai Kogan.
Evans lived a life of luxury, renting a luxury unit in the Horizon building (pictured), “which can’t have been cheap”, leading the source to suspect he may have struggled financially.
Evans has more than two decades of experience in the PR industry. He founded his own company, Evans Media, in 2005, and has worked with hundreds of media companies to help them with their PR strategies. He is pictured here with events manager Lucia Labbate in May 2008.
He also had a brief acting career, appearing in Home and Away in 1997.
Fellow publicist Roxy Jacenko, who rose to fame on the Sydney PR scene alongside Evans two decades ago, praised him as a “true networker”.
“He was like me, one of a new wave of PR people,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘He always had the prettiest group of girls to bring to events (and was) always willing to try something different.’
Interestingly, a friend of Evans’ contacted the Daily Mail Australia when he saw Jacenko’s quotes in the Telegraph to make it clear that the two were not friends.
“He would turn in his grave if he saw that,” they said. “He didn’t like[Jacenko]at all.”
