Bling Empire: New York star Lynn Ban dead at 51 after suffering brain bleed in Aspen skiing accident
BLING Empire: New York star Lynn Ban has died after suffering a brain bleed caused by a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado.
Ban’s son, Sebastian, announced her death on Wednesday, four weeks after she underwent emergency brain surgery for injuries from her accident on Christmas Eve.
Ban died on Monday, Sebastian revealed in an emotional tribute.
“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,” he wrote.
He remembered his mom as “my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all.”
Sebastian said Ban “always had a smile on her face” even during her difficult recovery following her ski accident.
“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,” Sebastian said, adding that she took care of their entire family throughout her 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.”
Sebastian concluded his tribute by telling his mom that he will miss her “forever,” adding “I love you more than life itself.”
Ban, who was 51, was a jewelry designer and starred on the reality show Bling Empire: New York.
On December 30, the reality star posted a picture showing her shaved head with stitches in it after surgery.
“Christmas Eve on a beautiful sunny day in Aspen on vacation with my family, I had a ski accident that would change my life,” Ban wrote.
The mom said she “caught a tip and face-planted” at the top of the mountain.
“Luckily I always wear a helmet. It didn’t seem that bad at the time and I was able to ski to the bottom,” she recalled.
She said ski patrol officials checked her out for a concussion, and she was cleared.
Lynn Ban's family's full statement
Bling Empire: New York star Lynn Ban died at 51, her son announced on Wednesday.
Sebastian’s heartbreaking tribute said:
“My mum passed away on Monday.
“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. 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.
“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.”
Source: Instagram
“I had a bit of a headache but thought after lunch it would be fine and I could ski again,” she continued.
But at a paramedic’s suggestion, the reality star went to the hospital with her husband, Jett Kain, for a CAT scan.
Within 30 minutes, doctors told Ban she had a brain bleed and needed to be airlifted to a trauma hospital.
“Last thing I remember was being intubated and waking up after an emergency craniotomy with Jett by my side,” Ban recalled.
In the now-heartbreaking post, Ban said she had a “long road of recovery ahead.”
“Grateful and blessed to see the new year,” she wrote.
TRIBUTES POUR IN
Comments on Sebastian’s post were full of tributes to the beloved jewelry designer.
Singer Rihanna commented, “2025 is rocking me at this point!”
“This is too much!!! Lynn you will always be our fairy godmother! Love you forever and always!” she wrote.
“Can’t believe I’m writing this in a comment section rn! Thank you for all the joy you brought to us!”
Bling Empire star Dorothy Wang wrote, “Sebastian, we have never met but the way your mom lit up every time she spoke of you – i will never forget.
“I won’t forget so many wonderful things about your mother. She was a true badass yet the kindest ray of light at the same time.
“Yes she loved her fashion and her looks, but what truly mattered most to her was always you and your father, her tribe.
“We are all heartbroken,” she concluded.
Designer Brian Atwood wrote, “Thank you for this post Sebastian. Your mother was a fearless warrior who lived and loved life. May we all take a piece of that with us. She was a dear friend one who will not be forgotten.”
“NOOO oh my god im so devastated,” author Jill Kargman wrote.
“Sweetheart I am so, so sorry; I loved her and am wearing her rings right now- what a creative, glittering (literally and figuratively) force she was. I will miss her and am sending you so much love.”
Ban is survived by her husband and son.