Bling Empire star Lynn Ban dies after brain surgery for ski accident
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Bling Empire: New York star Lynn Ban has died after she had brain surgery following a skiing accident.
The star of the Netflix reality show – about wealthy Asian American socialites – was a jewellery designer, who was based in New York, and from Singapore.
Her son Sebastian wrote on her Instagram account on Wednesday to share that his mother died on Monday with people who “wanted to share her journey after her accident and brain surgery”.
“Many of you followed my mum but never got the chance to know her or meet her in person,” Ban added.
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“I would like to take the chance to share who my mum really was. She was and always will be my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all.
“She always had a smile on her face even when times were tough during her recovery process.
“She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know. She was the funniest and coolest mum I could ever ask for. She took care of me, my dad, and our Entire family throughout her whole life.
“Although she may be gone now, I will do everything I can to make sure she is never forgotten and for her life to be celebrated as it deserves to be.
“As a final message to my mum, I would just like to say that I will miss you forever and to end in something she always told me ‘I love you more than life itself’ mum.”
Tributes have come flooding in from singer Rihanna, designers Bea Akerlund and Phillip Bloch, Younger star Debi Mazar, and A Star Is Born actress Drena De Niro.
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Rihanna wrote: “2025 is rocking me at this point!This is too much!!! Lynn you will always be our fairy godmother!
“Love you forever and always! Can’t believe I’m writing this in a comment section! Thank you for all the joy you brought to us!”
Mazar called the news “heartbreaking”, and described Ban as a “force and funny”.
Rihanna, Beyonce, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone are among wearers of Ban’s jewellery.
Last month, Ban shared with her Instagram followers that on Christmas Eve 2024 she was on holiday in Aspen, when she “had a ski accident that would change my life”.
Ban had first thought she was okay after the fall, and later when a paramedic “suggested I go to the hospital for a cat scan”, it revealed the extent of her head injury, which included a brain bleed.
She had an “emergency craniotomy”, which is a surgical treatment for a severe head injury, and woke up in hospital with her husband Jett Kain nearby.
Ban had hoped to recover this year.