Australian model and bikini designer Sahara Ray, who gained widespread recognition following a Hawaii vacation with Justin Bieber in 2016, died at the age of 34.
According to TMZ, Ray died in a hospital surrounded by her family. “She was so loved,” her relatives said.
Details about the circumstances that led to Ray’s death have not been revealed yet. In 2024, she told her followers about developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare nervous disorder, as a consequence of being hit by a drunk driver.
Ray was born in Torquay, a seaside town located in Victoria, Australia. Her father, Tony Ray, is a well-known big-wave surfer. She was raised mostly traveling between Australia, California, and Hawaii, reported TMZ.
Tony competed on the elite Association of Surfing Professionals world tour, and in 1997 he won the OP Pro at Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore, which marked the start of the Triple Crown of Surfing season.
At the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational in Waimea Bay in 2002, Ray’s father initially won, but his score was later recalculated after Kelly Slater noted the mistake and took the victory for himself, leaving Tony second.
Sahara Ray studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, created her own swimwear label, Sahara Ray Swim, and modeled for it.
She got widespread media coverage in August 2016 after getting caught swimming naked with Bieber on their Hawaii vacation, fueling rumors of romance.
Earlier, Ray dated Australian singer Cody Simpson, who was friends with and a touring partner of Justin Bieber in 2015.
In her series of videos posted on social networks in 2024, Ray described getting hit by a driver who was driving drunk and going as fast as 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 mph) on April 8 of that year, after which she developed Guillain-Barré syndrome.
“I can’t walk at all,” she said in one video, saying about paralysis from the upper thighs to her feet, mentioning the fact that she uses a wheelchair and walker most of the time.
Guillain-Barré syndrome develops when the immune system attacks the nerves, leading to weakness, numbness, or paralysis, the Mayo Clinic website says. This condition often appears after an infection and, in some cases, physical trauma. Patients usually recover from Guillain-Barré syndrome and can walk again within six months of the first symptoms.
More information about survivors and funeral arrangements was unavailable.
