Bling Empire Stars Pay Tribute to “Mesmerizing” Anna Shay Following Her Death

The Bling Empire family is mourning one of their own.

Kim Lee, Kelly Mi Li and Kevin Kreider were among those paying tribute to their co-star Anna Shay, whose family confirmed June 5 that she died following a stroke. She was 62.

"It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away," Anna's family said in a statement obtained by E! News June 5. "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."

Calling the tragic news a "huge shock," Kim said in a statement to E! News she had "so much love for Anna."

"I know that we had issues on the show but in real life, I had such a great connection with her outside of the show," Kim's statement continued. "We saw eye to eye, and she gave me so many words of wisdom I will never forget. There's no one like Anna Shay; she's an incredible and unique person who was beloved by so many people. My thoughts are with her family at this difficult time."

Kelly shared throwback photos of her and Anna on Instagram, including pics of them at the beach and snapshots of the Bling Empire cast competing on Celebrity Family Feud in 2022.

"You were truly one of a kind," Kelly captioned her slideshow, "and we will miss you forever."

Kevin recalled his last moments with Anna, noting, "You never know when your last goodbye will be."

He continued, "So unexpected and wished when I saw you last for lunch I would have taken a moment to smell the roses and had one last adventure with you."

In the comments section, Kevin's girlfriend and co-star Devon Diep wrote, "We love you Anna. Thank you for your kind heart and delicious dim sum when we hung out last. We will miss you dearly."

Anna—the daughter of Edward Shay, who founded Pacific Architects and Engineers, according to NBC News—joined Bling Empire for its first season in 2021. And while Bling Empire, often described as the real-life Crazy Rich Asians, followed the lives of wealthy Asian and Asian Americans, Anna never changed who she was for the cameras.

"I'm very happy for everybody," she told People in 2021. "Did I expect the show to be successful? No. I wasn't even expecting to be in front of the camera. I'm very shy and I went along with whatever situation was happening. I was just being me."

Keep scrolling for more tributes from the Bling Empire cast.

Kane Lim: "You had a nonchalance about you that was mesmerizing and captivated audience around the world. I was lucky to get to know the real you and not many knew about our friendship off camera. We had a real friendship and thought the show made things or even portrayed us a little crazy at times you knew who I really was as a person and had my back in the end. We spent most of the pandemic together, slaying it on Rodeo dr, grocery shopping, making Japanese plum wine and doing silly things. Thank you for your company. I will always remember you for your tenacity for life and resilience and whether the camera is on or off you, you slayyyy. Continue to slay in the heavens."

Cherie Chan: "@annashay93 my whole heart. I'm lost for words. If only the world knew how beautiful you are. 'Why does god take the best people from us?'"

Guy Tang: "Gone too soon. You'll be truly missed, @annashay93. The best memories were all behind the scenes of #BlingEmpire when the cameras were off. We had the best times together."

Mimi Morris: "Our hearts still ache in sadness. Bling Empire family lost such an amazing friend. Anna you will missed dearly, may you rest in heaven."

Jaime Xie: "You will be so dearly missed. Rest in peace, Anna. Our many memories together will stay forever in my heart."

Dorothy Wang: "Rest in Peace, Anna. Your generosity, boldness and fervor for life will forever be celebrated."