“Bling Empire” star Anna Shay has died unexpectedly. The 62-year-old actuality TV star suffered a stroke on Monday.
A Netflix consultant confirmed Shay’s demise to The Instances.
“It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mom, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has handed away on the early age of 62 from a stroke,” her household advised The Instances in an announcement.
“Anna taught us many life classes on how to not take life too severely and to benefit from the finer issues. Her influence on our lives can be eternally missed however by no means forgotten.”
Shay appeared on Netflix’s “Bling Empire” when the fact collection premiered in 2021. A billionaire heiress whose dad and mom collected their riches within the arms and protection expertise commerce, Shay was the wealthiest of the forged members. Recognized for her sharp one-liners, she was a fan favourite, with “Greatest Burn” reels devoted to her savage wit.
Her American father, Edward Shay, who based the worldwide protection contractor Pacific Architects and Engineers, met her part-Japanese, part-Russian mom, Ai Oizumi Shay, in Japan, and collectively they moved from Japan to Los Angeles when Shay was a baby — alongside together with her pet pocket monkey.
Shay’s father died in 1995 and her mom in 2015.
Due partly to her distinctive upbringing, and partly as a result of Shay believed in making the most of all the things life needed to provide, she had a wealth of tales and skills that she had acquired over the course of her extravagant life. She might pilot a helicopter and run a army impediment course. She realized to talk Spanish so she might handle a Cuban salsa band, and took a sledgehammer to the partitions of her Sundown Boulevard property, insisting she’d renovate it herself.
She was additionally recognized for her unbelievable generosity. She advised City & Nation that she’d met a homeless man at a flower market at 4 a.m. who launched himself as Elvis, and he or she put him up in an residence and stuffed it with groceries for a month. She was additionally recognized to purchase the salesperson the identical merchandise she purchased for herself at luxurious shops, and liked journey to Goal, the place she would usually spend a number of grand on groceries and goodies solely to take them residence and provides them away.
Based on Marie Claire, Shay was married and divorced 4 instances. However Shay, not one to kiss and inform, by no means revealed the identities of her 4 elusive husbands.
She is survived by her son, Kenny Kemp, who additionally briefly appeared on “Bling Empire” and was featured on BuzzFeed Information in 2015 for his in depth assortment of bongs and glass pipes valued at half one million {dollars} (on the time of publication) and saved in his mom’s basement.
Shay advised Individuals in 2021 that she wasn’t anticipating “Bling Empire” to garner a lot consideration. “Did I count on the present to achieve success? No. I wasn’t even anticipating to be in entrance of the digital camera. I’m very shy and I went together with no matter state of affairs was taking place,” she mentioned. “I used to be simply being me.”
Shay was recognized each for her love of diamonds and for her pearls of knowledge that she dropped on castmates and through confessionals throughout her three seasons on the present.
“You don’t let the garments put on you, you don’t let the automobile drive you,” Shay mentioned. “Don’t be impressed by issues. I don’t get impressed by issues, however by individuals and who they’re. … This isn’t a gown rehearsal, it’s important to dwell life to its fullest.”
Regardless of her opulence, Shay had a down-to-earth outlook on life and luxurious, and bragging about wealth was one of many heiress’ greatest pet peeves.
“I believe those who speak about it don’t actually have it,” she advised The Instances’ Ashley Lee in 2021. “Why would you put on one thing to indicate it off? My mom got here from aristocracy, and my dad got here from the South Aspect of Chicago. They advised me that in the event that they ever noticed the garments sporting me or the vehicles driving me, they might take all of it away and by no means purchase something for me ever once more. I’m glad they did that.”
Shay’s shut buddy Florent Bonadei, a consumer govt on the Parisian luxurious jewellery home Boucheron who was additionally featured on “Bling Empire,” spoke with The Instances on Monday about Shay’s premature passing.
“I’m so saddened by the lack of Anna Shay. Actually, I might not be the place I’m in the present day with out her friendship,” he mentioned. “Anna was as glamorous as she was eccentric. She was extremely beneficiant together with her wealth, however much more so together with her love and her loyalty.”
“To be Anna’s buddy was to be invited right into a magical world the place at some point you might be consuming caviar in Paris and the subsequent evening you might be watching TV in L.A. on her couch surrounded by animals, laughter and pleasure. Her coronary heart was humongous and knew no boundaries. I take some consolation in the truth that so many individuals had the possibility to see how extremely particular Anna Shay was by the present. I’ll at all times be extremely grateful to have the consideration to name her my buddy. I’m sending like to her son and all those that liked her as all of us mourn the fabulous, one-of-a-kind Anna.”
