Sahara Ray, the Australian-American swimwear model and daughter of big-wave surfer Tony Ray, has died at 34.
“She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved,” her family told TMZ.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Ray’s death comes less than a year after she welcomed her first child, a daughter named Snow.
She rose to wider public attention in 2016 amid reports that she had been romantically involved with Justin Bieber.
That August, the pair were photographed by paparazzi during a skinny-dipping outing.
Sahara Ray, the Australian-American model and swimwear designer who was once linked to Justin Bieber, has died at 34; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
Ray, pictured far right, first made headlines in 2016 amid reports of a relationship with Justin Bieber
She was also previously linked romantically to male model Jordan Barrett and Australian singer Cody Simpson.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Ray and Bieber for comment.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Ray grew up surfing. However, she left the sport as a teenager to pursue opportunities in modeling and fashion.
“Every winter I would spend 3 months on the north shore of Hawaii with my dad. He was a professional surfer, so I used to travel all over the with him while he was competing in the pipe masters & big wave competitions,” she told GQ in 2015.
Born in Torquay, Australia, Ray later moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, known as FIDM.
She built a successful modeling career and eventually founded her own swimwear label, Sahara Ray Swim.
Ray was also known for her friendship with British model and socialite Lottie Moss.
Her public profile continued to grow after her reported encounter with Bieber, fueled in part by the revealing images she regularly shared on Instagram.
Many of Ray’s posts featured nude images, while others showed her modeling revealing outfits, including pieces from Sahara Ray Swim.
In 2020, Ray joined the subscription-based adult platform OnlyFans.
Ray’s heartbreaking death comes less than a year after she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Snow; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
In July 2020, she sparked attention by promising to release a “sex tape” if she reached a certain number of OnlyFans subscribers.
Announcing her plans on Instagram at the time, the nude model wrote: ‘Hey guys. I decided to come up with a little game to play.
‘If I get to 10,000 subscribers, I will post a sex tape of me for free on my OnlyFans!’
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Earlier this year Ray became a mother following the arrival of daughter Snow.
Ray announced the arrival of Snow in January along with photos of the bundle of joy though never revealed the identity of her child’s father.
‘Snow Ray 1/27/2026,’ she wrote, adding: ‘I can’t believe I made this little Maricle with my body. I’m so proud and so in love.’
Sahara also uploaded tearful video to her Stories showing herself cuddling up to little Snow while telling her fans: ‘She’s so beautiful’.
Sahara went on to forge a successful career as a model and even launched her own swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
Ray’s last Instagram post were photos of her daughter Snow; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
Her last Instagram post were photos of her baby girl. ‘My whole heart (heart emoji) baby Snow,’ she captioned the upload.
Sahara has endured a difficult few years.
In May 2024 revealed she had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition that sees the immune system attack the nerves.
At the time, she told her followers that she had paralysed from her upper thighs down to her feet and that she was reliant on a wheelchair and walker to get around.
‘My whole life changed in an instant,’ Sahara wrote alongside a series of clips of her journey with the disease.
She explained that she was hit by a drunk driver travelling at 80m/h on April 8.
‘It basically sent my body into shock which sent my body into this crazy sickness,’ she revealed.
Sahara’s notoriety has only increased in the years since her romp with Bieber, mainly due to her penchant for sharing raunchy photos on Instagram; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
Sahara went on to forge a successful career as a model and even launched her own swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim; Source: Sahara Ray/Instagram
‘I got really really sick for like a week and a half to two weeks. During that time I barely ate any food because I couldn’t keep it down and my body got really weak,’ she continued.
Following her sickness she began to feel tingling and numbness in her feet which progressed to her legs.
The model was promptly rushed to the emergency room.
‘This has been really hard to deal with and I’ve been trying keep a good attitude and be hopeful that my feeling comes back,’ she told her social media followers.
She appeared to have seen a significant improvement in her health since then.
Sahara also made headlines in December 2021 when she announced she had begun a 30-day treatment program for drug and alcohol abuse at a facility in Miami.
The model also sparked concern in June 2020 when she penned an emotional Instagram post claiming she’d been a victim of male predatory behaviour.