Sahara Ray‘s younger sister shared an emotional tribute hours after news broke of the model’s death.
“My beautiful big sister, Sahara,” Ruby Ray wrote via Instagram on Monday, October 19, alongside several photos from the pair’s childhood and beyond. “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 added, “Sahara has moved from this life into another, and I am left trying to comprehend how someone so full of life can no longer be here to live it.”
According to Ruby, her older sister was “everything extraordinary about being human” and “the most incredible person to ever walk this earth.”
“How cruel it is to love someone so deeply and have nowhere for that love to go. To have a lifetime of memories behind you, but no more tomorrows together,” she continued. “I don’t think there are words in any language capable of holding the weight of this heartbreak. I don’t know how to make sense of a world that keeps turning when mine feels as though it has stopped. … I just want my big sister.”
Ruby noted how much “grief hurts,” referring to the loss of her sibling as “the most excruciating, all-consuming pain I have ever been doused in.”
“I want more time. More laughter. More conversations. More of her,” she added. “If love alone could have kept you here, Sahara, you would have lived a thousand lifetimes. I will spend the rest of mine loving you. ❤️.”
Sahara’s family confirmed her death at age 34 in a statement to TMZ on Monday.
“She passed away last night surrounded by family at the hospital,” they noted. “She was so loved.”
Her cause of death was not immediately revealed.
The daughter of pro surfer Tony Ray, Sahara was born in Australia and grew up in California, later launching her own swimwear line called Sahara Ray Swim. She was briefly linked to Justin Bieber in 2016.
In 2024, Sahara revealed she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder which can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis. Her symptoms began to improve over time, and earlier this year, she gave birth to her first baby, daughter Snow.
“My whole heart 🤍,” Sahara captioned an Instagram post in July, sharing a sweet glimpse of her baby girl.























