Australian model and swimwear designer Sahara Ray has died at 34, months after welcoming her daughter, Snow.
Her family confirmed the news on Monday, October 19, after she died the previous evening. They have not announced a cause of death or linked it to the health problems she previously disclosed.
Snow was born in January. Ray had announced her pregnancy the previous August, then began sharing glimpses of motherhood with the audience that had followed her modeling career.
The daughter of Australian surfer Tony Ray, she also developed a fashion business under her own name, Sahara Ray Swim.
Ray’s Family Says She Died Surrounded by Loved Ones
🕊️ Model Sahara Ray has died at 34.
What we know: https://t.co/Exr6GG9sSt https://t.co/a19WC5LDjL
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 19, 2026
Ray was “surrounded by family at the hospital,” her family told TMZ. “She was so loved.”
Her friend Becky Hearn shared throwback photographs on Instagram, remembering Ray as “a pure one with a very big heart.” She also wrote, “My heart is broken for you and your family. Rest in peace,” according to Page Six.
Her Swimwear Label Launched Before the Bieber Headlines
Ray described an upbringing shaped by surfing and travel in a 2015 interview with GQ. Born in Australia, she primarily grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and spent three months each winter with her father on Hawaii’s North Shore, where he competed in surfing events.
Ray took classes at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, according to Just Jared’s 2016 profile.
Her label held an official launch party at Warwick in Los Angeles on August 28, 2014. Life Without Andy documented the event and its runway presentation.
Those photographs, taken in August 2016, showed Ray vacationing with Bieber. She had also been romantically linked to Australian singer Cody Simpson.
In November 2023, Ray attended the 10th anniversary celebration of Ashton Michael Atelier in Los Angeles with musician Mod Sun.
She Documented Her Paralysis and Recovery in 2024
Ray discussed her Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosis in a May 8, 2024, TikTok, according to 7NEWS. She said she had been left paralyzed from her upper thighs to her feet and was mainly using a wheelchair, with a walker for limited movement.
She said the health problems followed an April 8 car accident. In her account, a period of severe illness was followed by tingling in her feet that spread up her legs. Within about a week and a half, she could no longer walk.
Ray said she had been away from social media because the condition had left her depressed. She was trying to stay hopeful while confronting the possibility that feeling might not return to her legs.
The Mayo Clinic describes Guillain-Barré syndrome as a condition in which the immune system attacks nerves. Symptoms can include weakness, numbness and paralysis.
By May 19, Ray was posting rehabilitation footage that showed her standing and passing a ball to a practitioner. She thanked her family and doctors for helping her regain strength, writing, “My whole life changed in an instant.”
Ray Shared Her First Months With Daughter Snow
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Ray introduced Snow to her Instagram followers in April, sharing a video featuring mother and daughter. The post, linked in PEOPLE’s reporting, was accompanied by Justin Bieber’s song “Everything Hallelujah,” released in 2025.
Page Six identified a July 19 carousel as her final Instagram grid post. The photographs showed Snow smiling and playing. “My whole heart 🤍 baby Snow,” Ray wrote alongside the pictures.