Sahara Ray’s legacy on and off the runway endures.
The model and swimsuit designer died Oct. 18, her family confirmed. She was 34.
“She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital,” Ray’s family said in a statement to TMZ Oct. 19. “She was so loved.”
E! News has reached out to reps for Ray but has not yet heard back.
Influencer Sabrina Zada—who modeled alongside Ray— was among those who expressed their grief following the heartbreaking news.
“You were bigger than the whole sky @sahara_ray,” Zada wrote in an Oct. 19 post, alongside photos of she and Ray over the years. “Still will always be. I don’t know what to do anymore. None of this makes sense without you. Selfishly I just assumed you’d be here because why wouldn’t somebody as beautiful, kind, funny, and interesting as you be here anymore. I’m very confused. I miss you. Please text me back and say it’s a moment and nothing more.”
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Ray’s modeling career took off in the mid-2010s and she later founded her self-titled swimsuit company, Sahara Ray Swim, in 2014. The model also had a brief, headline-making romance with Cody Simpson in 2015, and Justin Bieber in 2016, though she never confirmed either relationship.
And just months before her death, Ray added a new role to her resume: mom. She shared she welcomed a baby girl, Snow, in January and had documented the first few months of being a mom on social media, with her last post in May featuring her exercising.
Prior to giving birth, Ray had also suffered a significant health scare in 2024, when she told followers she had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome shortly after being hit by a car.
“I have an autoimmune disease that I got a few weeks ago,” Ray said in a TikTok. “It is an autoimmune disease that attacks my nerves and my feet and my legs are affected. The tips of my fingers are numb as well.”
At the time, Ray said the ailment was causing her mental health to suffer, though she expressed cautious optimism about her future.
“This has been really hard to deal with,” she explained. “I’ve been trying to keep a good attitude and be hopeful that my feeling comes back but there’s always a chance it stays like this.”
For a look back at Ray’s life in photos, keep reading.
Sahara Ray/Instagram
“Happy Mother’s Day to all my strong beautiful mothers,” she captioned her Instagram post. “You are the light and love of my life baby Snow. Thank you for existing.”
“Still will always be,” she continued. “I don’t know what to do anymore. None of this makes sense without you. Selfishly, I just assumed you’d be here because why wouldn’t somebody as beautiful, kind, funny, and interesting as you be here anymore. I’m very confused. I miss you. Please text me back and say it’s a moment and nothing more.”
