Bling Empire star Anna Shay has died at the age of 62.

“It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away at the early age of 62 from a stroke,” her family said in a statement. “Anna taught us many life lessons on how not to take life too seriously and to enjoy the finer things. Her impact on our lives will be forever missed but never forgotten.”

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Her claim to fame was after she appeared on the first season of Bling Empire on Netflix in 2021 quickly becoming a fan favorite.

Who was Anna Shay?

“Anna Shay is half-Japanese and half-Russian and super, super wealthy,” another Bling Empire star Kane Lim said during Season 1 of the show.

According to NBC, Shay’s father was the founder of Pacific Architects and Engineers, which is a global contractor for American defense services which was established back in 1960s. There was a sense of mystery around the immense wealth that Shay had accumulated during her lifetime. According to Tatler, which interviewed Shay last year, Shay and her brother sold their father’s business for $1.2 billion in 2006.

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Although it was speculated that Shay’s money came from “weapons” after Lim said the same, Shay disputed the claim, saying, “I asked him, ‘Why did you say my dad was in arms?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know.’ He thought he knew, but maybe he didn’t know and was just guessing.”

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Shay was surprised by her success from Bling Empire. “I wasn’t even expecting to be in front of the camera,” she said. “I’m very shy and I went along with whatever situation was happening. I was just being me.”

Shay was married four times but kept her ex-husbands’ identities out of the public discussion. She has a son named Kenny Kemp, 27.