Model Trish Goff's Son Dies Suddenly: Nyima Ward Was 27

Ward was also a model who worked with designers including Anna Sui and John Varvatos.

By Allison Schonter

Model Nyima Ward, son of '90s supermodel Trish Goff and ex Aaron Ward, has died. Ward passed away on Wednesday, May 29 at the age of 27, according to an online obituary. A cause of death was not disclosed.

"Nyima Lee Ward of Ocala, Florida blew into this world on January 2, 1997 destined to live life his own way," his obituary read. "He left it May 29, 2024 having lived fiercely, loved deeply and made memories with the kind of fervor that only a young man who never met a stranger could do."

The obituary continued, "In Tibetan, Nyima means 'the Sun.' There is no doubt that when he was born, he was the sun to parent's Aaron Ward and Trish Goff's whole system. He remained there throughout his life."

Ward is the son of Goff, a high-profile supermodel throughout the '90s who appeared in campaigns for designers including Chanel, Christian Dior and YSL. She welcomed Ward with Aaron in 1997, introducing her son to the modeling world early when he would accompany his mother to events and photo shoots. After taking part in one of Goff's photo shoots for Vogue, Ward went on to sign with her partner David Bonnouvrier's DNA Models agency at age 18.

"Both of my parents were models. My dad did a few Calvin Klein campaigns back in the day," Ward told W magazine in 2017. "And my mom started dating David [Bonnouvrier, owner of] DNA [Models] and then they've just been trying to get me to sign forever and I was always like, "Nah, nah." And then I turned 18 and I was like, "Might as well try it."

Ward made his runway debut in 2015 for Anna Sui and later modeled for designer John Varvatos. Throughout his modeling career, he also worked with legendary fashion photographers such as Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber, per PEOPLE.

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Outside of modeling, Ward "was a boy of the world, traveling extensively, who grew into a man of the earth, falling in love with farming and animals and chasing his dreams from California to Florida," according to his obituary. He was also an animal activist, his obituary noting that "it wouldn't have been unheard of to find Ward with a stray animal he'd saved on the side of the road or calling his mom to ask about animal care tips." Ward was also remembered for his deep love of his family, his obituary noting that "the only thing in life that matched his height was his love of friends and family, never missing an opportunity to tell his people he loved them or ensuring he had stayed in touch with his people."

Ward is survived by his mother and father. His family requested that donations be made in Nyima's memory to The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation instead of flowers.

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