Lynn Ban, the jewelry designer who worked with stars including Rihanna and Beyoncé and starred in Netflix’s “Bling Empire: New York,” has died.
Ban died Monday, her son Sebastian announced Wednesday in a moving Instagram statement. She died weeks after she underwent emergency brain surgery after a skiing accident in December. She was 52.
“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,” Sebastian wrote. “She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know.”
Ban, her son continued, “was the funniest and coolest mum” who devoted herself to caring for her loved ones including husband and business partner Jett Kain. Kain did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
A Singapore native, Ban was born to real estate development executive David Ban and gemologist Patricia Ban. She gained notoriety for the eponymous line of bold jewelry that she established in 2011. In the following years, high-profile stars including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Madonna sported Ban’s pieces. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion were also among the stars wearing Ban’s designs.
“Lynn you will always be our fairy godmother! Love you forever and always,” Rihanna commented on Wednesday’s post. “Can’t believe I’m writing this in a comment section rn! Thank you for all the joy you brought to us!”
Drag star and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Aquaria also paid tribute Wednesday: “Lynn’s stylish journeys throughout the world would always bring me so much joy and inspiration to dare to dream.”
Ban’s jewelry and out-there personal style earned her more than just a roster of loyal, A-list clientele. It made her a reality TV star. She made her “Bling Empire: New York” debut in January 2023. The series premiered on Netflix and was a spinoff of the Los Angeles-based “Bling Empire.” The New York cast starred Ban, Dorothy Wang, Tina Leung, Blake Abbie, Stephen Hung, Deborah Valdez-Hung, Richard Chang and Vika Abby. Netflix canceled both “Bling Empire” series in 2023.
On Wednesday Ban’s co-star Wang wrote in an Instagram story that “it has been terribly hard trying to think of anything happy or positive to share today.”
“You are one in a billion,” Abbie remembered Ban on Instagram, sharing photos of tender moments with his former co-star.
Ban told Tatler in a May 2023 interview about her ambitions to further expand her own empire beyond jewelry. She also spoke about her philosophy about owning vintage luxury pieces.
“Clothes have to have a life, a memory. Go out, get drunk, dance. That’s what fashion is for me — you live in it,” she told the outlet.
Weeks before her death, Ban told her Instagram followers about the skiing accident that occurred during a family vacation in Aspen, Colorado. She said she “face planted” after reaching the top of a mountain. Though she was able to descend and ski patrol determined she did not have a concussion, Ban said, she went to a hospital for a CT scan, which showed she had a brain bleed.
“Last thing I remember was being intubated and waking up after an emergency craniotomy,” Ban said in December. She acknowledged the “long road of recovery ahead” and branded herself a “survivor.”
Ban concluded her post: “Grateful and blessed to see the new year.”
On Wednesday, Ban’s son wrote he was determined to ensure his mother “is never forgotten” and her life “is celebrated as it deserves to be.”
He added: “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’ mum.”
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