Key Takeaways
- Sahara Ray, the Australian model and founder of Sahara Ray Swim, died at 34 on Sunday night at the hospital surrounded by family, according to a statement her family gave to TMZ.
- Sahara Ray's cause of death has not been confirmed, and no link has been established between her death and the Guillain-Barre syndrome she disclosed in 2024.
- A drunk driver going roughly 80 miles per hour struck Sahara Ray on April 8, 2024, triggering a severe illness and a Guillain-Barre syndrome diagnosis that left her paralyzed from the thighs down.
- Sahara Ray gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Snow, in January, and her final Instagram post on July 19 showed photos of the baby captioned "My whole heart."
Sahara Ray, Australian model and swimwear brand founder, has died at 34 years old.
The family of Ray, who’s the daughter of surfer Tony Ray, confirmed her death to TMZ on Monday (Oct. 19), telling the outlet that she "passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved." Her cause of death has not been shared, although she suffered from rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome following a 2024 car accident.
After Ray spent most of her childhood between California, Australia and Hawaii, the late model studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2014, she launched Sahara Ray Swim and would later be romantically linked to vocalists Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson and Mod Sun.
Just days before her 31st birthday, on April 8, 2024, a drunk driver traveling roughly 80 miles per hour struck Ray’s vehicle. The accident left her paralyzed from the thighs down and she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes muscle weakness.
"It basically sent my body into shock, which sent my body into this crazy sickness," she said in a video following the crash.
“I’m really hoping and praying that I get to walk again someday,” Ray said elsewhere.
She is survived by her first child, a baby girl whom she named Snow.
