Sahara Ray, Swimwear Model and Daughter of Surfer Tony Ray, Dies at 34
Model's sister Ruby pays tribute following death from fentanyl overdose.
Sahara Ray, an Australian-American swimsuit model and daughter of big wave surfer Tony Ray, died Friday at the age of 34 from a fentanyl overdose, according to reports. Her younger sister, Ruby Ray, shared a heartfelt tribute on social media.
"My beautiful big sister, Sahara. The most vivacious, intelligent, hilarious, kind, empathetic and breathtakingly beautiful soul. A force of nature. A light so bright that this world feels impossibly dimmer without her in it," Ruby wrote, accompanying the post with throwback photos of the sisters.
Sahara Ray's family confirmed her death to TMZ on Monday, stating, "She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved."
Ray, who was a bikini designer, announced the arrival of her daughter, Snow, in January. She last posted photos of her baby girl to Instagram in July.
Previously, Ray had been linked romantically to singer Cody Simpson and was rumored to have dated Justin Bieber in 2016, after they were photographed during a skinny dipping session.
"God, grief hurts. It is the most excruciating, all-consuming pain I have ever been doused in," Ruby wrote in her tribute, expressing the profound emptiness left by her sister's death. "I don't know how to make sense of a world that keeps turning when mine feels as though it has stopped."