Singaporean star of Bling Empire dies after ski accident

Lynn Ban, a Singaporean jewelry designer who starred in the Netflix reality show Bling Empire, has died a month after undergoing brain surgery following a skiing accident.

Her son Sebastian confirmed her death on Instagram on Wednesday, where he paid tribute to his 51-year-old mother as a “best friend and a wonderful mother”.

The accident happened in Aspen in the US on Christmas Day.

Ban’s family has not revealed what killed him.

In a social media address on New Year’s Eve, Mr Ban revealed that while walking on a mountain he fell and his “face was planted”.

With the helmet on, “it didn’t seem that bad at the time and I was able to dive all the way to the bottom,” he said, adding that a ski patrol officer later noticed that he had slipped and pulled him away.

But he still had “a little headache” and decided to go to the hospital, after being told by a doctor. They then discovered he had a brain bleed, and went into emergency surgery.

“In the blink of an eye… life can change,” he wrote in the caption, which was accompanied by a photo of himself in bed with a short shave. “There is a long road to recovery but I survived.”

Born in Singapore, Ban has worked in New York, London and Paris.

Her designs have been worn by pop stars Madonna, Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Cardi B and Billie Eilish, according to her website.

At Bling Empire New York in 2023, she was among a group of Asian Americans who “show off their wealth – and fashion – while bringing drama to New York City”, according to Netflix.

In his speech, Sebastian Ban said he wanted the world to know his mother as a person.

“He always had a smile on his face even when times were tough in his recovery,” she said.

“She’s a fighter to the end and she’s the strongest woman I know,” he said.