Lynn Ban, a famed jewelry designer and star of Netflix’s “Bling Empire: New York,” died Monday, just weeks after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage following a skiing accident in December.
Her son Sebastian confirmed her death in an Instagram post on Wednesday, noting that “she wanted to share her journey after her accident and brain surgery, so I thought she would appreciate a final post sharing the news with people who supported her.”
About three weeks earlier, Ms. Ban had done so posted on her Instagram account to reveal the news of her skiing accident. In the caption of a photo of her partially shaved and lying in bed, Ms. Ban said she had a life-changing skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado, on Christmas Eve.
The jewelry designer said at the time that she had been cleared by the ski patrol, who had checked her for a concussion, after she skied to the bottom of the mountain, and that her fall “didn’t seem that bad at the time,” even though she had a little headache. A paramedic suggested she go to a hospital for a CT scan, where a brain bleed was diagnosed. Ms Ban said she was then airlifted to a trauma hospital, adding: “The last thing I remember was being intubated and waking up after an emergency craniotomy.”
Ms. Ban, who hailed from Singapore, designed fine jewelry that adorned some of the world’s most recognizable artists and celebrities, including Rihanna, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone. According to her website, Ms. Ban also collaborated with Rihanna on jewelry for her tours, performances, music videos and her Fenty x Puma collections.
Ms. Ban often set gemstones such as diamonds in oxidized metals to create visual contrast.
For a 2017 article in The New York Times, Ms. Ban talked about her signature armor rings, including a piece she made for Rihanna to wear in photos for W Magazine. Instructed to imagine the pop star as the last woman in a post-apocalyptic world, Ms. Ban created a claw armor ring, an articulated design that extends to the finger and ends in a claw-like pointed tip. “It continues the theme of my signature armor ring, but is even more protective,” she said. “It’s like a weapon.”
Ms Ban added that it was no coincidence that the piece was created at a time of political change. “Revolution and social protest have always led to intense periods of creativity,” Ms. Ban said. “Just look at the sixties.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Jeff Jenkins, the founder and president of Jeff Jenkins Productions, which produced Bling Empire and Bling Empire: New York, called Ms. Ban “a true original.”
“Our entire Bling Empire family, in front of and behind the camera, is shocked and deeply saddened,” he said. “Experiencing Lynn meant receiving a great deal of joy.”
Alain Delaqueriere contributed research.
