Sahara Ray, the Australian model and swimwear designer once romantically linked to Justin Bieber, has died at 34. She passed away surrounded by family at a Los Angeles hospital, and while her autopsy has since been completed, investigators have not yet determined how she died.
Ray's death was confirmed by TMZ, which reported that her cause of death has been deferred by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office as officials wait for toxicology results. According to the same report, she died on a Sunday “surrounded by family at the hospital.” The medical examiner's process typically involves analyzing biological specimens collected during autopsy for drugs, toxins and poisons, a step the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner says helps determine both cause and manner of death.
Accounts of what led to Ray's hospitalization and death differ. The Daily Mail reported, citing a source close to her, that she died from a fentanyl overdose, but the medical examiner has not confirmed that account. The outlet also said it was unclear whether the reported overdose was accidental or deliberate. Complex has reported that no coroner or law enforcement agency had announced an official cause of death.
Hospitalization and Final Days
Complex reported that Ray was taken to a Los Angeles hospital and placed on life support before her death. The outlet said her family withdrew life support on October 18. The medical examiner has not independently verified those details; the circumstances of her hospitalization remain part of the unresolved case, as MLive has also reported.
Ray became a mother months before her death, welcoming her daughter, Snow, in January. She launched her swimwear brand, Sahara Ray Swim, in 2014.
A Public Battle With Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Ray had spoken publicly about a 2024 car crash after which she said she was partially paralyzed and briefly used a wheelchair. In a TikTok video, she described being unable to walk and said she had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The condition is a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves; the CDC lists muscle weakness, tingling and, in some cases, paralysis among its symptoms.
What remains unconfirmed
A deferred cause of death means investigators need more information, not that a particular cause has been established. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner says a deferred death certificate may be issued when a pathologist needs additional tests; in Ray's case, toxicology results are still pending. Separately, a June 2026 Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report noted consecutive annual declines in drug overdose deaths, particularly those involving fentanyl. That countywide trend does not establish what caused Ray's death. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says the exact cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome is unknown. That general medical information does not establish a connection between Ray's reported diagnosis and her death.
Ray drew wide public attention in 2016, when she was photographed vacationing in Hawaii with Justin Bieber, prompting relationship rumors that neither publicly confirmed.
For now, the central question of what killed Sahara Ray remains open. Investigators have completed her autopsy, but her official cause of death has not been released, and toxicology results that could settle the conflicting accounts have not yet been made public.
