Billionaire ‘Bling Empire’ heiress Anna Shay dead at 62
“Bling Empire” star Anna Shay died unexpectedly from a stroke Monday. She was 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 obtained by People.
“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,” her family’s message concluded.
Shay was the matriarch of the popular Netflix reality show, which premiered in 2021.
“Anna Shay is half-Japanese and half-Russian and super, super wealthy,” her co-star Kane Lim said in a Season 1 confessional.
Although the source of her family’s wealth was seemingly shrouded in mystery, Shay’s father was the founder of Pacific Architects and Engineers — a global contracting business for American defense services, according to NBC.
Shay previously admitted she didn’t anticipate the level of success “Bling Empire” achieved.
“I wasn’t even expecting to be in front of the camera,” she told People.
“I’m very shy and I went along with whatever situation was happening. I was just being me.”
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The show — which follows wealthy East and Southeast Asian Americans in Los Angeles —ran for three seasons, airing on the streaming service from 2021 to 2022.
The most recent installment, which premiered last October, showed the matriarch advising her young co-stars that “there are more things in life than superficial bulls–t.”
Fans last heard from her in December 2022 when she wished her Instagram followers a happy holiday season.
“May all your dreams come true,” she captioned the photo at the time, adding, “And a very special Thank you to all at the Netflix.”
Shay is survived by her 29-year-old son, Kenny Kemp.
Her family’s statement also referred to grandchildren, however their identity, along with the identities of her ex-husbands, remains unknown.
