“America’s Next Top Model” creator Tyra Banks took to Twitter to honor Jael Strauss, a contestant on the reality competition series who died Tuesday at the age of 34 after a battle with breast cancer.
“Top Model has lost a beautiful soul,” wrote Banks. “We will all remember Jael and her fun-loving spirit and beautiful soul.”
Strauss was a contestant on Season 8 of “Top Model” and made it fairly far in the competition, coming in sixth place. In October, she announced her cancer diagnosis on Facebook. From there, she gave a candid and optimistic look at her journey that was very true to Banks’ comment about her fun-loving spirit. In November, she entered hospice.
A Go Fund Me page started by Strauss’ partner and friends last month to help defray her medical expenses confirmed her death on Tuesday.
“Today we lost our earth angel and she is back in the spirit world from which she came and we know she will be watching over all of us,” the page notes. “She will dance at how we celebrate her life by spreading the love that she lived by daily with a reckless abandon. We can honor her best by trying to #lovelikejael.
In addition to Banks, Jaslene Gonzalez, who won the eighth season of “Top Model,” took to Twitter to remember Strauss. “Guys, I heard about #jaelstrauss passing today and I’m so sad about it,” she wrote on Twitter. “I wish I could of seen her once more. She was going through a whole lot. We don’t know for what reasons, but man was she one of the strongest I knew. My prayers are with her and her family.”