Sahara Ray Dead at 34: Justin Bieber’s Ex Dies After Birth

Australian model and swimwear designer Sahara Ray, once romantically linked to pop star Justin Bieber, has died at the age of 34, her family confirmed to TMZ on Monday. The news lands just nine months after Ray welcomed her first child, a daughter named Snow, in January 2026.

Ray’s family said she died surrounded by loved ones in a hospital. “She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved,” they told the outlet. Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Who was Sahara Ray?

Ray was the daughter of big-wave surfing legend Tony Ray and grew up splitting her time between Australia, California and Hawaii. She parlayed a successful modeling career and a major Instagram following into her own swimwear label, Sahara Ray Swim, where she served as founder and designer.

She became a global name in August 2016 after photographs of her holidaying with Justin Bieber in Hawaii surfaced online, including images of the pair swimming that went viral worldwide. She was later linked to Australian singer Cody Simpson and, in 2023, to musician Mod Sun. Her final Instagram post in July showed a series of sweet photos of her infant daughter, captioned “My whole heart… baby Snow.”

A difficult recovery before motherhood

In April 2024, Ray revealed she had developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition, after being hit by a car. The condition left her partially paralyzed from her upper thighs down, and she documented her painful journey back to walking with her followers, relying at times on a wheelchair and a walker. Videos posted in the months before her death showed she had regained her mobility.

Her January announcement of Snow’s arrival was met with an outpouring of affection, and she introduced her daughter to the world in April with a video set to Bieber’s hit “Everything Hallelujah.”

Tributes pour in

Former close friend Lottie Moss paid tribute to Ray on Monday, writing that she wished she had answered Ray’s last message. “I had some of my funniest and craziest memories with you,” Moss added, calling Ray one of those people whose energy was infectious. Fans and fellow models have continued to flood her social media pages with condolences as the family grieves privately.