Joe McCann says he is creating a foundation in honor of his late fiancée, influencer Ashlee Jenae, months after her death in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
McCann told TMZ that he has started the process of setting up a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preventing self-harm and helping people who are struggling with thoughts of self-harm.
Jenae, whose legal name was Ashly Robinson, died on April 9 while traveling with McCann after the couple got engaged during their trip. She was 31.
The foundation is still in the early stages, and TMZ’s report did not list a launch date, official website, board, or named partner organizations.
McCann Said the Foundation Will Carry Her Name Forward
According to TMZ, McCann wants the foundation to become a lasting tribute to Jenae and a way to help people in crisis. The outlet reported that the planned organization will focus on suicide prevention and support for people experiencing serious mental-health struggles.
The announcement follows weeks of public attention around Jenae’s death, the investigation in Tanzania, and McCann’s first public statements after returning to the U.S. In May, he wrote on X that losing her was an “incomprehensible tragedy” and described her as compassionate, creative, loving, and deeply connected to her Trinidadian heritage.
People Previously Reported His First Public Statement
People reported that McCann called Jenae his best friend, confidante, and fiancée in the May statement. He also said she had a close relationship with his children and had dreamed of becoming a mother.
Jenae’s family announced her death in April and remembered her as someone full of life, love, and creativity. People reported that the family also raised money through GoFundMe to help with funeral and travel expenses after her death overseas.
The Investigation in Tanzania Later Closed
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Jenae’s death drew questions early on because Zanzibar authorities questioned McCann as part of the investigation and temporarily held his travel documents. People and Reuters reported at the time that McCann had not been charged with a crime.
In June, People reported that Tanzanian authorities had concluded their investigation and determined that Jenae died by suicide due to mental distress. McCann later said the official finding did not make the loss less painful.
TMZ later reported that McCann said Jenae had been struggling emotionally in the weeks before her death. Those details come from his account and involve a private mental-health crisis, so the clearest public development is the foundation he says he is now trying to create in her name.
Jenae Built a Following Through Lifestyle Content
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Jenae had more than 88,000 Instagram followers and was known for lifestyle content, travel posts, fashion, food, and glimpses of her relationship with McCann. Her final public posts from the Tanzania trip showed birthday and engagement moments, which made the news especially jarring for followers who knew her through the bright parts of her online life.
The foundation announcement shifts the current update away from speculation and toward what McCann says he wants to build next. TMZ reported that he is beginning the nonprofit process with the goal of supporting self-harm prevention work and people whose struggles may not be visible from the outside.
In the U.S., anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental-health crisis can call or text 988 or use the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline chat.