Bling Empire's Anna Shay dies of a stroke at 62
Anna Shay, the sagely socialite star of the reality soap Bling Empire, has died after suffering a stroke. She was 62.
Her family released a statement on Monday (June 5): "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. 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."
Shay was born and raised in Japan to American businessman Edward Shay and half-Japanese, half-Russian Ai Oizumi Shay. Her father was the founder of the global defense contractor Pacific Architects and Engineers.
According to South China Morning Post, Shay had a net worth of US$600 million (S$808 mil). She was born and raised in Japan to American business Edward Shay and half-Japanese, half-Russian Ai Oizumi Shay.
Her late father was the founder of defence contractor firm Pacific Architects and Engineers (PAE) and her mother was an aristocrat.
Per Variety, Shay and her brother Allen sold PAE to Lockheed Martin in 2006.
She is survived by her 29-year-old son Kenny Kemp. She was said to have been married and divorced four times, she was yet to reveal the identities of any of her former lovers.
In 2021, Shay became a household name as one of the cast members of Netflix's Bling Empire, a reality drama about a group of affluent rich Asian-Americans in California. The show lasted three seasons and spawned a spin-off, Bling Empire: New York.
In an interview with JoySauce last year, Shay explained that she had not felt any "pressure" to prove herself as Asian and explained that the "best thing" in life was for an individual to be themselves.
She said: " I don't think I have. I think that when people put themselves into a category they're putting themselves into those categories. They're cutting themselves off from anything that they can venture into in this great big world. I think the best thing is just to grow up and know who you are. You're gonna make mistakes. You may not understand certain things, but I'm blessed to have the parents that I had. They taught me to know who you are to believe in yourself.
"So, the being Asian, or half, really never really entered my life. I did see things that were a little odd. I’d be at school and I’d talk in Japanese with my mom. When my family moved from Japan, not many people here spoke a second language. So It's all how you look at things, right? Being able to speak Japanese was great."
Bling Empire alum Kevin Kreider paid tribute to Shay on Instagram: “You never know when your last goodbye will be. So unexpected and wished when I saw you last for lunch I would have taken a moment to smell the roses and had one last adventure with you.”
Another co-star, the LA-based Singaporean Kane Lim wrote: "You had a nonchalance about you that was mesmerizing and captivated audience around the world. I was lucky to get to know the real you and not many knew about our friendship off camera.
"We had a real friendship and though the show made things or even portrayed us a little crazy at times you knew who I really was as a person and had my back in the end. We spent most of the pandemic together, slaying it on Rodeo dr, grocery shopping, making Japanese plum wine and doing silly things.
"Thank you for your company. I will always remember you for your tenacity for life and resilience and whether the camera is on or off you, you slayyyy. Continue to slay in the heavens."
— BANG SHOWBIZ
Photo: TPG News/Click Photos
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