Sahara Ray, model once linked to Justin Bieber, dies aged 34
Australian model and swimwear designer Sahara Ray has died aged 34. Her family confirmed the death to TMZ; no cause has been given.
Australian model and swimwear designer Sahara Ray has died aged 34, her family confirmed to TMZ on Monday.
“She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved,” her family said in a statement. A cause of death has not been confirmed, and none of the outlets reporting the news has speculated on one.
Ray shot to international attention in 2016 when she was photographed vacationing with Justin Bieber in Hawaii, an episode widely reported at the time, including photographs of the pair skinny-dipping. She was also previously romantically linked to Australian singer Cody Simpson, according to TMZ and the LADbible.
The daughter of legendary Australian surfer Tony Ray, she spent her childhood between Australia, California and Hawaii, and went on to found the swimwear brand Sahara Ray Swim, building a following of nearly 900,000 on Instagram, The Sun reports.
In 2024 she publicly disclosed a Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosis, saying she had been paralysed from the tops of her upper thighs down and used a wheelchair and walker, Just Jared reported. She described the condition herself on social media; it has not been linked to her death.
She had given birth to a daughter, Snow, in January, and introduced the baby to followers in an April video, Page Six reported.
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