Musician Mod Sun posted an emotional tribute to Sahara Ray on social media, days after the Australian model and swimwear founder's family confirmed she had died at just 34 years old.

Ray's family announced her death to TMZ on Monday, Oct. 19. No cause of death has been disclosed, and outlets covering her passing say there is no established link between her death and a Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosis she had publicly revealed in 2024. Ray built a following as a surfer, model and the founder of a swimwear line, and had been romantically linked over the years to Justin Bieber, singer Cody Simpson and, most recently, Mod Sun.

A tribute from an ex

Mod Sun — whose real name is Derek Ryan Smith — shared a tribute post remembering Ray, describing their time together as a period when he felt most free, according to E! News. The two were linked romantically after being photographed together in Malibu in 2024, following an earlier public appearance at a fashion event in late 2023.

THE TIME HE FELT MOST FREE.

That's how Mod Sun described his relationship with Ray in his tribute, one of several public remembrances that have circulated since news of her death broke. Friends and fans have also pointed to one of Ray's final social media posts — a tribute to her baby daughter — as a particularly poignant farewell, shared just months before her death.

Who was Sahara Ray

Ray rose to prominence over the past decade as a fixture of the surf and swimwear world, building a brand around her own swimwear label while maintaining a highly visible social media presence. Her relationship with Bieber years earlier had kept her in tabloid coverage well before she launched her own ventures, but she had increasingly carved out an identity independent of her celebrity ties, both as an entrepreneur and, more recently, as a mother.

Coverage of her death has noted that her final public appearance came nearly three years before she died, a detail that outlets have highlighted as fans look back on her life and career.

What's next

Ray's family has not announced funeral or memorial plans, and no additional details about the circumstances of her death have been released. Tributes from friends, former partners and fans have continued to circulate online in the days since her passing was confirmed.