The Bling Empire family is in mourning on Monday after Anna Shay’s sudden death. Kelly Mi Li was one of Shay’s first co-stars to speak out, sharing a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram. Shay died after suffering a stroke, her family said. She was 62.
“RIP [Shay]… you are truly one of a kind and we will miss you forever,” Mi Li wrote. She included a gallery of photos with Shay and other members of the Bling Empire cast. Kane Lim, who also starred in the series, responded with a crying emoji.
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“I’m shocked to hear the news of Anna’s passing,” Lim toldย TMZ. “We had so many great memories together that were mostly behind the cameras and I’ll keep that dearly in my heart. We had a real friendship. My deepest condolences to her family. She will be missed.”
“It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away at the early age of 62 from a stroke,” Shay’s family told PEOPLE Monday. “Anna taught us many life lessons on how not to take life too seriously and to enjoy the finer things. Her impact on our lives will be forever missed but never forgotten.” She is survived by her son Kenny Kemp and several grandchildren.
Shay starred in all three seasons of Bling Empire, which were released on Netflix between January 2021 and October 2022. She became a fan-favorite member of the cast, but many wondered where her money came from. In the first season, Lim hinted she was “super, super wealthy” and that her money came from “weapons.” In reality, her father, Edward Shay, was the founder of Pacific Architects and Engineers (PAE), a defense and government services contractor headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Shay’s family is no longer directly involved in the controversial company, as they sold it to Lockheed Martin in 2006 for $1.2 billion. Gores Holdings acquired the company in 2020.
Although Bling Empire featured stars from many different families, Shay was considered the “matriarch” of the cast. In an Oprah Magazineย interview, Shay said she was embracing that role.
“I need to grow up a little bit. Sometimes I think the other cast members are too serious,” she said. “And I think the way that we grew up is very different. I had to put them in check. I’m not here to raise them. I’m here to make sure they’re OK. My son [Kenny Kemp] is 27. His friends are always over, asking me for advice. I’ve always been around kids as my mother was with me.”
Shay also admitted to not knowing what to do with the checks Netflix sent her for the show. “I didn’t cash them, then I got in trouble for not cashing them,” she said. “I have them in a savings account. I’d like to have a party sometime. I don’t think the money belongs to me. I think it belongs to the crew that had to put up with me.”ย
