BET’s ‘Baldwin Hills’ Star Gerren Taylor Dead at 30

Gerren Taylor, who starred in the BET reality series Baldwin Hills, died in her sleep Sunday morning. She was 30. The cause of death remains unknown. She battled lupus and was on dialysis, but it is not clear if her condition was linked to her death, reports Essence.

Ray Cunningham, who is also known as Misster Ray on VH1’s Love and Hip-Hop, confirmed the sad news on Twitter and Instagram. “Just got the worst news. I hate it’s on the internet already. RIP to my [BET] fam, my babes Gerren,” Cunningham, who also appeared on BET’s College Hill, tweeted. He also shared a video with Taylor on Instagram.

“Just got the worst news ever and I’m still not processing it fully,” Cunningham added Sunday. “I’ve known [Taylor] since 2006, the [Baldwin Hills] cast was like the little sisters and brothers to [College Hill]. I was sneaking her into parties with me. She was one of the first people to reach out to me when I shared my alopecia diagnosis and she shared her’s with me. I [love] u. You will be missed. BET fam… Rest well love.”

“The entire BET family mourns the passing of one of our own, Ms. Ashley Gerren Taylor, beloved star of BET’s Baldwin Hills,” BET said in its own statement. “The untimely passing of such a young, bright light is difficult to process. BET’s thoughts and prayers go out to Ashley’s friends and family during this time.”

Taylor was born Ashley Taylor Gerren in Los Angeles. When she was 12 years old, she became the youngest model ever signed by LA Models’ runway division. She starred in all three seasons of Baldwin Hills, which ran from 2007 to 2009 and focused on wealthy Black teens in the Los Angeles neighborhood Baldwin Hills. In 2007, she was featured in the documentary America the Beautiful, a film about self-image in the U.S. that also starred Paris Hilton.

Taylor was also an entrepreneur, with over 127,000 Instagram followers. She also survived by a 7-year-old daughter she often featured on Instagram. Her last post on the social media platform was a selfie published on March 29. “I’m very protective of the woman I’m becoming,” she wrote in the caption. Fans and colleagues have flocked to her Instagram page to share their condolences. “I can’t even believe I’m reading this sis. I’m heartbroken,” Bria Myles wrote. “I’m so sorry this happened to you… god protect your baby RIP Gerren,” one fan wrote. “Words just cannot explain the feelings rn. I love you,” another commented.