Anna Shay dead at 62: Bling Empire star passes away ‘unexpectedly’ following a stroke

Bling Empire’s Anna Shay has died at the age of 62.

The reality star passed away unexpectedly from a stroke, her family revealed in a statement to People on Monday morning. 

‘It saddens our hearts to announce 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,’ her family’s statement read.

‘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 not forgotten.’ 

Anna starred on the Netflix reality series Bling Empire for three seasons, beginning in 2021.

Sad news: The reality star passed away unexpectedly from a stroke, her family revealed in a statement to People

Anna starred on Bling Empire with Christine Chiu, Kim Lee, Kelly Mi Li, Kevin Kreider, Dorothy Wang and more.

Anna has a son named Kenny Kemp, 27.

The statement from her family noted grandchildren; it is unknown how many and with whom Kenny has children with. 

She shared her final Instagram post on December 2, 2022, writing: ‘Wishing everyone happy holiday… May all your dreams come true. And a very special Thank you to all at the Netflix.’ 

The show’s matriarch, who was half Japanese and half Russian, was the only daughter of the late billionaire businessman Edward Shay and Japanese-American Ai-San.

Anna’s father founded Pacific Architects and Engineers (PAE), a defense and government services contractor that worked with the U.S. government and the United Nations.

She and her younger brother Allen sold PAE to Lockheed Martin in an all-cash, $1.2 billion deal in 2006. 

While she was well-known in LA, the socialite has kept herself out of the public eye.

‘Anna Shay is a really reclusive person,’ Kane explains in the first episode of Bling Ring. ‘Sometimes you see a glimpse of her, sometimes you don’t.’

 With a reported net worth of $600 million, she was by far the richest cast member.

Last post: She shared her final Instagram post on December 2, 2022, writing: ‘Wishing everyone happy holiday… May all your dreams come true. And a very special Thank you to all at the Netflix’

Wealthy: With a reported net worth of $600 million, she was by far the richest cast member

RIP: The show’s matriarch, who was half Japanese and half Russian, was the only daughter of the late billionaire businessman Edward Shay and Japanese-American Ai-San

Poster: Anna seen in a Bling Empire poster with her castmates

On the premiere, she flies Kelly Mi Li to Paris for her birthday and buys her a ‘friendship ring’ from the luxury jeweler Boucheron.

‘I bet Anna goes to Paris more times in a year than she goes to Silverlake,’ Kelly says during the episode.

The heiress was so rich that she admitted to OprahMag.com that she didn’t know what to do with the payments she received for starring on the Netflix series.

‘It was so confusing when I got the checks. I didn’t know what to do with them,’ she said. ‘I didn’t cash them, then I got in trouble for not cashing them. I have them in a savings account. I’d like to have a party some time. I don’t think the money belongs to me. I think it belongs to the crew that had to put up with me.’

Anna’s son Kenny Kemp also appears on the show. He made a name for himself as a ‘passionate stoner’ in 2015 after giving BuzzFeed a tour of his collection of bongs worth half a million dollars.

The glass pipes were stored in a vault in his mother’s Beverly Hills mansion that was originally designed to be a wine cellar.