Justin Bieber's rumored model ex dies at 34 — months after welcoming first baby

Sahara Ray, a model and swimwear brand founder, tragically passed away at the age of 34.

The Australian model and online personality's family confirmed the news to TMZ in a heartbreaking statement that read: "She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital. She was so loved."

No cause of death has been confirmed as of writing. Fellow social media model and friend Sabrina Zada paid tribute to Sahara, writing on Instagram: "You were bigger than the whole sky @sahara_ray  still will always be."

"I don't know what to do anymore. None of this makes sense without you. Selfishly I just assumed you'd be here because why wouldn't somebody as beautiful, kind, funny, and interesting as you be here anymore. I'm very confused. I miss you. Please text me back and say it's a moment and nothing more."

Who is Sahara Ray?

Sahara built a following on social media with her beach and swimwear content before creating her own swimwear brand, Sahara Ray Swimwear, in the mid 2010s.

Her father, Tony Ray, was a professional surfer, once ranked #11 worldwide. Sahara previously told GQ that she divided her time between her native Australia and the United States often due to her father's schedule and competitions.

"Every winter I would spend 3 months on the north shore of Hawaii with my dad," she recalled. "He was a professional surfer, so I used to travel all over with him while he was competing in the pipe masters & big wave competitions."

In January 2026, Sahara became a mom for the first time, welcoming a daughter named Snow. Her last social media post was in July, a collection of photos of her daughter, captioning them: "My whole heart, baby Snow."

Sahara's connection to Justin Bieber

Over the years, the model has been linked to several celebrities, including Cody Simpson and Mod Sun. She was spotted with the latter front row at a fashion show as recently as 2023.

In 2016, she was reported to be dating Justin Bieber. The pair were seen vacationing together, and she even shared the occasional snap with him on Instagram. Neither party ever spoke of the relationship or confirmed it, however.

In April 2026, Sahara posted a clip of herself holding her newborn daughter, captioning it: "Baby snow hallelujah," a reference to Justin's song "EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH," which also soundtracked the clip.

What syndrome did Sahara have?

Prior to becoming a mom, Sahara shared on TikTok that she had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome following an accident. "I have an autoimmune disease that I got a few weeks ago," she explained. 

"It is an autoimmune disease that attacks my nerves and my feet and my legs are affected. The tips of my fingers are numb as well." While she noted that it was drastically affecting her mental health, she remained optimistic.

"This has been really hard to deal with. I've been trying to keep a good attitude and be hopeful that my feeling comes back but there's always a chance it stays like this."