Tyra Banks broke her silence on the death of America’s Next Top Model‘s Jael Strauss.
The model, who gained prominence after appearing on Season 8 of the reality show, passed away in hospice Tuesday after suffering a quick decline Monday night after a battle with breast cancer. She had been unconscious for a few days before her death.
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“Top Model has lost a beautiful soul,” Banks wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “We will all remember Jael and her fun-loving spirit and beautiful soul.”
Top Model has lost a beautiful soul. We will all remember Jael and her fun-loving spirit and beautiful soul.
— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) December 5, 2018
Banks’ fans responded to her message with their own messages for Strauss’ family.
“Condolences to her friends and family. I’m glad we got the opportunity to know of her through ANTM!” one Twitter user wrote.
“She was such a brave soul. She definitely has been through a lot. Definitely a Cycle 8 standout. May her soul rest eternally,” another user commented.
“The one blessing was that we were able to show her how loved she was before she passed,” Strauss’ family said in a statement to TMZ. “She brought so much light to people.”
Strauss announced her cancer diagnosis in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.
“I was gonna write some long thing but some of you guys deserve to know, On October 2nd I was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. It has aggressively spread throughout my body and is incurable,” she wrote. “With treatment it may prolong my life longer than the ‘few months’ doctors said I could make it. I don’t want to die. I need another one of those miracles that I got back in 2013.”
Strauss once again reached out to followers on social media at the end of November to announce she had entered hospice care, PEOPLE reports. The model had reportedly decided to stop chemotherapy treatment, leading to her move to hospice care.
“First night in hospice. So many things I never knew about life. Or death,” she wrote on Facebook. “So many things.”
After the diagnosis became public, Strauss’ loved ones set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for her medical bills.
“Jael, one of the most compassionate, generous, and kind-hearted beings in the universe, has been dealt a tough hand,” the campaign information reads. “Those of us who know her understand that she is a fighter, but this fight will be a long, rocky, and definitely expensive one.”
“Jael, being the selfless person that she is, has helped countless people throughout her life as an advocate for recovery and social justice. She has offered everything she has to people in need; no matter what their situation, she is always ready to help with an empathetic heart and nonjudgmental spirit. She has created ‘gofundmes’ for literally dozens of her friends, and it is now time for us to pay her back. We have the chance, and honestly the obligation, to step up and return the favor.”
