Lynn Ban, ‘Bling Empire’ Star, Dies at 52 After Skiing Accident and Brain Surgery

Lynn Ban, a jewelry designer and cast member of Netflix’s “Bling Empire: New York,” died Monday after a skiing accident and brain surgery in late December, her son announced. She was 52.

“My mum passed away on Monday,” Ban’s son Sebastian wrote on her Instagram account Wednesday. “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. Many of you followed my mum but never got the chance to know her or meet her in person. I would like to take the chance to share who my mum really was. She was and always will be my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all.”

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On Dec. 30, Ban revealed that she had an emergency craniotomy after a skiing accident in Aspen during a family vacation. “At the top of the mountain I caught a tip and face planted,” she wrote on Instagram. After being cleared for a concussion by ski patrol paramedics, Ban went to the hospital with her husband.

“I went in a taxi with Jett [Kain] and within 30 minutes they told us I had a brain bleed and needed to be airlifted to the trauma hospital,” she wrote. “Last thing I remember was being intubated and waking up after an emergency craniotomy with Jett by my side.”

Ban is the owner of Lynn Ban Jewelry, and her designs have been worn by celebrities like Rihanna, Beyoncé and more. She appeared in “Bling Empire: New York,” a spinoff of the main “Bling Empire” series, in 2023. The show follows a group of rich Asian Americans from New York City and their lavish lifestyles.

“She always had a smile on her face even when times were tough during her recovery process,” Ban’s son wrote. “She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know. She was the funniest and coolest mum I could ever ask for. She took care of me, my dad, and our entire family throughout her whole life. 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. 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.”

A previous version of this article reported that Ban was 51.