Anna Shay dead: Netflix’s ‘Bling Empire’ star dies aged 62 due to a stroke

Anna Shay, the Bling Empire socialite, has died at the age of 62. According to a statement provided by Shay’s family, the heiress died from a stroke but it was not immediately clear when she died.

The family said: “It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our own brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away.

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 a Los Angeles socialite who amassed a fortune after she and her brother sold their father’s company, Pacific Architects and Engineers, after his death. She told Oprahmag.com in a 2021 interview she had no idea what she was getting into when she joined the cast of Netflix’s Bling Empire.

Bling Empire - a hit series on the streaming platform - chronicles the lives of ultra-wealthy Angelenos of Asian descent. She had said then: “The next thing I knew, I was sitting in front of the camera. I’m really quite shy, so it was hard. I never thought about doing this, especially at my age.”

Shay was the only daughter of Edward Shay, the American billionaire founder of the defence and government services contractor, and Ai-San, his half-Japanese, half-Russian wife. The reality star was born and raised in Japan.