Anna Shay, ‘Bling Empire’ Star, Dies at 62

Abbey White
·3 min read
2
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Anna Shay, heiress and star of Netflix’s Bling Empire, has died. She was 62.

The reality star died following a stroke, Shay’s family said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

“It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away,” the family said. “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 appeared on all three seasons of the Netflix reality series, which followed the success of the box office hit Crazy Rich Asians, until its cancellation. Speaking to her decision to join the show, Shay credited producer Jeff Jenkins. “I think he’s an amazing producer, and an incredible friend. And when he said, ‘Anna, let’s work together. I would love to work with you,’ I was so thrilled. I was like, ‘I would love to work with you too.’ And that was it. The next thing I know, I’m in front of a camera,” she told Town & Country in a 2021 profile.

Shay was one of three children born to her father Edward Shay, an American global defense contractor and founder of Pacific Architects and Engineers, and her part-Japanese, part-Russian mother, Ai Oizumi Shay, who worked in pearl and silk imports and was the granddaughter of a Russian Count and Ambassador to both China and Japan.

Her family, which included Jun, her half-brother from her mother’s first marriage, and Allen, her younger brother, moved from Japan and settled down in L.A. in 1968. He continued, through his company, to work for the Department of Defense, State Department, Armed Services, United Nations and more across seven continents, according to Town & Country.

Following her father’s passing in 1995 and mother’s death in 2015, Shay and her younger brother sold their family’s company, which was founded in 1955.

In an 2021 interview with Oprah Magazine, Shay said her mother once told her, “You were born in a crystal ball with a silver spoon.'”

Due to the nature of her father’s work, the family frequently took special precautions while traveling, with Shay going with her father and seperately her mother and younger brother going to their destination for safety reasons.

The reality star frequently worked with her family foundation and had a presence in the fashion world. She was married and divorced four times, telling Town & Country that her initial decision to marry was because her father would not let her join the family business. She would have one son, Kenny Kemp.

Described as once “reclusive” by Jenkins, Shay spent much of her time at her Sunset Boulevard compound, which dated back to 1926, once belonged to mob boss Tony Milano and was sold for more than $13 million in 2021. She then moved into a new home, previously owned by Tim Burton.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

Click here to read the full article.