Anna Shay from Netflix’s Bling Empire Dies at 62 From a Stroke

It is the end of an empire.

The billionaire star of Netflix’s Bling Empire has passed away at the relatively young age of 62. She had suffered a stroke which led to her death.

Here is what happened.

Anna Shay From Bling Empires Dies at 62

If you have watched Netflix’s Bling Empire, you would have seen the colourful character Anna Shay.

Shay was one of the leading cast members of the reality television show showcasing the rich and glamorous Asians who lived in various upscale areas of the United States (in particular, Los Angeles).

Unfortunately, Shay will not be making a comeback in any of the subsequent seasons of Bling Empire (if the cancelled season is reinstated), as she has passed on. The billionaire was 62 years old.

According to United States media, her family revealed earlier this week to the public 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”.

It was not disclosed when Shay actually passed away.

Shay’s last post on her Instagram account was made on 3 December 2022, where the star posted a picture of herself with another person. The caption wished her followers a happy holiday and that “all your dreams come true”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Anna Shay (@annashay93)

She also thanked Netflix in her post.

The comments section of her post has since been flooded with comments and condolences from fans. Many comments were asking Shay to “rest in peace”.

Others complimented the late star when they knew her in life.

Anna Shay is survived by her son, Mr Kenny Kemp. Kemp is currently in his 20s. She also has grandchildren, though their identities are unknown.

Co-stars Offer Their Condolences

Since Shay’s death, her Bling Empire co-stars have publicly expressed their condolences for her passing.

Kevin Kreider, to whom Shay was very motherly in the series, posted on Instagram a clip of himself with Shay from the series.

The caption of his post read, “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”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kevin Kreider (@kevin.kreider)

Another cast member, Kelly Mi Li, shared a series of pictures featuring Shay and herself on Instagram as a tribute to the late star.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kelly Mi Li (@kellymili)

Li wrote that Shay was “truly one of a kind and we will miss you forever”.

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Anna Shay Was a Private Person in Life

While Shay’s glitzy life was made public to many curious eyes in Bling Empire, this was not the norm for the star. Prior to starring in the hit reality television series, Shay was a relatively private person.

Part of it could be attributed to the star being exceedingly wealthy, which may have isolated her from others around her.

Shay is said to have acquired the bulk of her fortunes after her family sold her father’s company, Pacific Architects and Engineers, in 2006 after his death. The price was US$1.2 billion (approximately S$1.6 billion), therefore propelling Shay to billionaire status.

Pacific Architects and Engineers is an American defence and government services contractor which was founded by Edward Shay in 1955. Needless to say, this must have been a lucrative industry and company, given its ties to the government.

For those who are unaware, Shay is of mixed heritage. She was born in Japan to an American businessman father, Edward Shay. Her mother was socialite Ai Oizumi Shay, who was half-Japanese and half-Russian.

Shay was so private that not much is known about her personal life except that it did not appear to be very smooth sailing.

Her tumultuous private life was seldom brought to the public’s attention. In total, the late star had a total of four marriages. She was divorced at the time of her death.

Despite being a public figure, the identities of all of Shay’s four husbands were never revealed, even through the divorces, as reported by the French magazine Marie Claire.

The most that we know is that Shay met one of her husbands while learning to fly helicopters, as Shay revealed during an episode of Bling Empire. She otherwise remained tight-lipped about his identity.

Even though Shay was not lucky in love, she never gave up hope. She had previously shared in another episode of Bling Empire that she was open to marrying for the fifth time if the right man came along.

Shay also appears to have been taken by surprise that so many fans paid attention to her from the show.

While Bling Empire was a key factor which propelled Anna Shay to fame, she revealed to the American magazine People (in 2021) that she did not expect the series to gain so much traction and love from fans.

Shay shared that she actually did not want to be “in front of the camera” and described herself as being “very shy”.

However, she eventually mustered up the courage to step out of her comfort zone and “went along with whatever situation was happening”.

That created the hit show as we know it now, and ultimately, she won over viewers by “just being [herself]”.