Australian model Sahara Ray dies aged 34
Updated . First published at
Australian model Sahara Ray has died aged 34, less than a year after welcoming her first child.
“She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved,” Ray’s family confirmed to TMZ.
Sahara Ray pictured in 2023. Getty
Her cause of death has not been confirmed.
Ray was the daughter of Australian big-wave surfer Tony Ray and grew up splitting her time between Victoria, California and Hawaii.
She rose to fame through her modelling career and social media presence, amassing nearly 900,000 Instagram followers before her sudden death.
Ray also founded her own swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim, in 2014.
Outside her social media and fashion career, Ray made headlines when she was romantically linked to multiple celebrities.
In 2015, she was rumoured to be seeing Australian singer Cody Simpson.
The following year, she was pictured holidaying with American music star Justin Bieber in Hawaii, where the pair were spotted skinny-dipping.
More recently, she was linked to American singer and songwriter Mod Sun after they were seen kissing.
Ray welcomed her first child, a daughter named Snow, in January.
She documented her pregnancy on Instagram and TikTok but chose to keep the identity of baby Snow’s father private. It’s unclear if she was parenting solo.
Ray announced her pregnancy in August 2025 and welcomed her daughter in January. Instagram/@sahara_ray
The young mum’s final Instagram post before her sudden death was a tribute to her baby girl.
“My whole heart, baby Snow,” she wrote alongside a series of photos of Snow in July.
Nearly two years before welcoming her daughter, Ray opened up about being diagnosed with the rare autoimmune condition Guillain-Barré syndrome after being hit by a car.
It causes the body’s immune system to attack the nerves and can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Sahara Ray with her daughter Snow, who was born in January 2026. Instagram/@sahara_ray
“I’m so overwhelmed with what’s been going on with me,” she said in 2024, when she was diagnosed.
“So basically right now, I’m paralysed from the tops of my upper thighs all the way down to my feet. I can’t walk at all. I am primarily in a wheelchair, and I have a walker.”
There’s no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, though several treatments are available to help patients manage symptoms and many recover after a few months or years. Ray had documented some of her recovery journey online, sharing videos of herself walking and cradling her young daughter.
