Model Sahara Ray is dead at 34.
The family of the Australian fashionista once linked to Justin Bieber told TMZ that Ray died Sunday (Oct 18) night “surrounded by family at the hospital.”
No cause of death was reported. She spoke in 2024 of living with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
The diagnoses was made following a serious car crash, she told her fans on social media. Ray said her condition had rendered her unable to walk without the help of a wheelchair or a walker.
“I’ve been pretty depressed obviously,” she confessed.
Ray said the illness impacted her legs and feet as well as causing numbness in the tips of her fingers.
But she expressed optimism that she’d recover. Ray said she’d been mowed down by a drunk driver moving at 80mph (128kmh).
The National Institutes on Health describes Guillain-Barre syndrome as “a rare neurological disorder in which a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of their peripheral nervous system.”
In some cases it can leave those afflicted unable to breathe on their own.
In addition to modelling work, Ray launched her own swimwear brand called Sahara Ray Swim.
She was spotted vacationing with Bieber in Hawaii in 2016. The pair appeared to be skinny dipping in photos from that trip published by the Daily News.
Ray was also romantically linked to Australian singer Cody Simpson. Her father was competitive surfer Tony Ray.
She gave birth to a daughter in January. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
