The Singaporean star of the Bling Empire died in a skiing accident

Renowned Singaporean jewelry designer Lin Ban, 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 in an Instagram post on Wednesday, paying tribute to his 51-year-old mother as a “best friend and best mother”.

An accident happened in Aspen in the US on Christmas Eve.

Ban’s family did not immediately release her cause of death.

In a post on social media on New Year’s Eve, Ban said she had “face-planted” after falling while skiing at the top of a mountain.

While she was wearing a helmet, “it didn’t seem that bad at the time and I was able to ski down,” she said, adding that a ski enforcement officer later cleared her after diagnosing a concussion.

But she still had a “slight headache” and decided to go to the hospital, on the advice of a paramedic. She then discovered she had a brain bleed and went in for an emergency craniotomy.

“In the blink of an eye… life can change,” she wrote in the caption, accompanied by a picture of her in bed with a partially shaved head. “There’s a long road to recovery ahead, but I’m a survivor.”

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

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

In the year In 2023’s Bling Empire New York, she was part of a group of Asian American socialites who flaunt their wealth — and fashions — while living in New York City, bringing the drama to life, according to Netflix.

In his tribute, Sebastian Ban said he wanted the world to know who his mother was.

“Even during the tough times during her recovery, she always had a smile on her face,” he said.

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