A popular former professional hockey player and rising reality TV star in Finland was killed earlier this week, and his sudden death has prompted a scheduling change for the program he was involved in.

Janne Puhakka, 29, who previously gained a level of fame as Finland's first openly gay professional hockey star, was also a star in the popular reality TV series "Petolliset," the second season finale of which has now been postponed following his murder, TheWrap reported.

"Petolliset" is the Finnish version of the U.S. show "The Traitors," in which a group of contestants divided between "traitors" and "faithful" are periodically eliminated in a murder mystery game with a cash prize at the end. Puhakka was one of the few remaining contestants in the upcoming finale.

Season finale indefinitely delayed following murder of star

Following the revelation that Puhakka had been murdered in real life over the weekend, the Finnish network that airs the reality program he starred in, Nelonen, released a statement on social media about the season finale that was set to be broadcast later this week.

The translated statement from the network said, "The final episode of the season of 'Petolliset' was scheduled to be shown on Thursday of this week. We have come to the conclusion that right now is not the right time to air an episode."

"We will return to the question of the possible presentation of the episode later," the network added. "We share in the grief of Janne’s loved ones."

Initial manslaughter charge upgraded to murder

According to a news release from the Finnish Police, albeit without naming names, Puhakka was the victim of a fatal shooting on Sunday at a home previously shared with a former partner, who confessed to shooting the victim with a legally owned shotgun.

"The victim and the suspect had been in a relationship. It was revealed in the interrogation that the motive for the crime was the ending of the relationship between the victim and the suspect," the police said.

It was noted that the suspect remained in police custody and that an initial charge of manslaughter had been upgraded to murder, and explained, "The reason for the change is that the act is suspected to have been committed with premeditation and in a particularly brutal and cruel manner."

The news release further noted that an investigation into the deadly incident was ongoing and cited national laws as the reason why the names of the victim and suspect could not be publicly released.

Identities of victim and suspect revealed by the media

Though the police could not publicly release the identities of the shooter and the deceased, Finnish media outlet Yle reported that its law enforcement sources quietly confirmed that Puhakka was the victim and his former romantic partner, Norwegian veterinarian Rolf Nordmo, 66, was the suspect who was arrested and charged.

Based on information obtained from investigators and witnesses, it appeared that Puhakka had moved out of their shared home a few weeks ago after a break-up but had returned on Sunday to handle a few "practical matters."

At this point, it remains unclear exactly what went down right before the murder occurred, but investigators presumably have sufficient evidence to support the charge against Nordmo.

That information may become known in the coming days as authorities intend to interrogate the suspect again and interview several witnesses about everything that happened.