Family announces death to TMZ

Sahara Ray died in hospital on the evening of Sunday, 18 October 2026, her family told the US portal TMZ on Monday, 19 October. The 34-year-old Australian model was surrounded by relatives at the time, the family said in a statement, adding that she was deeply loved. The family did not say what caused her death, and none of the reports published since have confirmed a cause. Several outlets carried the same account, and none of them offered further details about the circumstances.

From modelling to her own swimwear label

Ray built her public profile through modelling and a large presence on social media, with close to 900,000 followers on Instagram. She posed for swimwear brands and launched her own label, Sahara Ray Swim. She was the daughter of Australian surfing figure Tony Ray, and she spent much of her childhood and youth moving between Australia, California and Hawaii. Her social media accounts were her main way of reaching the public, and she shared updates from her career and personal life there.

Bieber link and a 2024 illness

In 2016 she was photographed on holiday in Hawaii with the singer Justin Bieber, a relationship that was never officially confirmed. Some outlets also linked her earlier to the Australian singer Cody Simpson. In April 2024 she publicly described her battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves. She said the illness followed a car accident in which she was knocked down, leaving her partly paralysed and temporarily dependent on a wheelchair.

Daughter born in January

Ray had given birth to her first child, a daughter, in January 2026, only months before her death. Before the birth she shared a video of her pregnancy on Instagram, and in April she introduced the baby to her followers in a video. The reports do not reveal the identity of the child's father. The family's statement did not refer to the child, and no information about the daughter's care was given in the coverage.

Tributes from friends and fans

Her friend Becky Hearn posted older photos of the two of them on Instagram and wrote that her heart was broken for Ray and her family. Fans and followers left messages of farewell beneath her most recent posts. Coverage across several languages repeated the family's account, but no outlet reported any new details about her final days or the cause of her death.