Lynn Ban, one of the stars of the Netflix reality series, Bling Empire: New York, tragically died on Monday nearly one month after suffering a brain bleed as a result of a skiing accident in Aspen with her family on Christmas Eve. She was 51 years old.
The series was a spinoff of Bling Empire, which focused on the lives of wealthy and materialistic Asian American socialites based in the Los Angeles area. Starring Dorothy Wang from season two of the original series, Bling Empire: New York launched in January 2023 and featured a new cast of stylish Asian American socialites “flaunting their fortunes and fashion while bringing the drama and living it up in New York City.”
Ban had opened up about the aftermath of her accident in a Dec. 30 Instagram post, sharing photos of her recovery along with some pretty gnarly head staples. As she explained in the caption, she caught a tip at the top of the mountain and “face planted.” She had been wearing a helmet at the time, and since the injury didn’t initially seem that bad, she managed to ski to the bottom.
“Erring on the side of caution , I wanted to get checked out by ski patrol for a concussion,” she wrote at the time. “They assessed me and I was cleared. I had a bit of a headache but thought after lunch it would be fine and I could ski again.”
However, Ban says the paramedic suggested she get a CAT scan, which initially saved her life. Doctors quickly discovered a brain bleed, and she was then airlifted to a trauma hospital. She said the last thing she remembers was being intubated and waking up after an emergency craniotomy with her husband Jett by her side.
Unfortunately, Ban passed away shortly after undergoing brain surgery. The New York Post reports that she was found dead by her husband at their Tribeca home around 1:30 on Monday afternoon.
Ban’s son Sebastian likewise shared news of his mother’s passing on Wednesday morning.
“I know she wanted to share her journey after her accident and brain surgery, so I thought she would appreciate one last post sharing the news to people who supported her,” Sebastian wrote. “She was and always will be my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all. She always had a smile on her face even when times were tough during her recovery process. She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know.”
“Although she may be gone now, I will do everything I can to make sure she is never forgotten and for her life to be celebrated as it deserves to be,” he continued. “As a final message to my mum, I would just like to say that I will miss you forever and to end in something she always told me, ‘I love you more than life itself.'”
Ban was no longer a cast member on the reality series at the time of her passing. In April 2023, it was reported that Netflix had decided to not move forward with the fourth season of Bling Empire, nor a second season of Bling Empire: New York.
