Malia White announced on Tuesday the ‘devastating loss’ of her brother, Jay, at age 34.
His passing follows a ‘battle with addiction,’ she said on Instagram.
The Below Deck Mediterranean star, 33 – who recently stepped back from the series – paid an emotional tribute to her brother by sharing throwback images of Jay as she brought awareness to addiction.
She revealed his death occurred last week on Thursday, October 5, ‘in the middle of the night’ due to an addiction battle.
The TV personality typed, ‘To everyone who knew our brother Jay, it’s with a heavy heart we announce the sad news of his death. His death is a devastating loss for our family and his friends, but we are grateful for the time we had with him.’
Mourning: Malia White mourned the ‘devastating loss’ of her brother, Jay, following his ‘battle with addiction’ at the age of 34 and announced the tragic news on Instagram on Tuesday
Emotional tribute: The Below Deck Mediterranean star paid an emotional tribute to her brother by sharing throwback images of Jay and also brought awareness to addiction
Addiction battle: The TV personality typed, ‘To everyone who knew our brother Jay, it’s with a heavy heart we announce the sad news of his death’ and added that his passing occurred last week on Thursday, October 5
Malia expressed, ‘Jay was happiest outdoors, especially with a fishing pole in his hand alongside a riverbank with his dog Aspen. To those who had the pleasure of knowing Jay, he was truly a kind soul, willing to help anyone at a moment’s notice.’
In conclusion, the reality star added, ‘We will share information about a celebration of life at a later date.’
White then offered resources to those ‘struggling with addiction’ to assist individuals to ‘get the support you need.’
Along with writing a tribute to Jay – whose full name is Jayseph – the media personality also shared images of her late brother, including one as he flashed a smile towards the camera while enjoying a day of fishing.
She also uploaded a throwback photo of herself posing next to her sibling when they were younger.
Malia later took to her Instagram stories and shared an image that simply read, ‘F**k Fentanyl.’ She added the text underneath, ‘If you are struggling with addiction, please know that you are not alone.’
In another slide, she opened up about her brother’s tragic death and expressed her ‘hope’ that bringing awareness to addiction can help others in the world facing a similar battle.
‘I don’t usually share personal things about family but I hope being open about my brother’s struggle will help someone else out there,’ she wrote to her followers.
In the past: She also uploaded a throwback photo of herself posing next to her sibling when they were younger
Special memories: Malia expressed, ‘Jay was happiest outdoors, especially with a fishing pole in his hand alongside a riverbank with his dog Aspen. To those who had the pleasure of knowing Jay, he was truly a kind soul, willing to help anyone at a moment’s notice’
Bring awareness: Malia later took to her Instagram stories and shared an image that simply read, ‘F**k Fentanyl’ and added, ‘If you are struggling with addiction, please know that you are not alone’
She revealed, ‘We adopted Jay into our family at a young age and this is not the outcome in this life he deserved.’
‘To all those sharing with me similar addiction stories, thank you for your vulnerability. My heart is with you & your families.’
Social media users flooded the comment section on her post to offer their condolensces to Malia and her family after the announcement of Jay’s death.
Summer House star, Amanda Batula, wrote, ‘Sending you so much love and big hugs. So sorry for your loss.’
Below Deck’s Courtney Veale added, ‘Malia I’m so sorry to here this. Sending so much love to you and your family,’ while Below Deck Med typed, ‘Rest easy Jay. I love you monkey. Always here for even when we are oceans apart.’
Fellow Bravo star, Kory Keefer also penned, ‘Stay strong, remember all the smiles and know WH fam is here for you to lean on.’
Malia is known for starring on Below Deck Mediterranean and was on the show for a total of three seasons. However, last year, she confirmed that she would be stepping away from the show.
During an interview on Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered podcast, Malia stated, ‘I took a year off.’
‘I was recently in a really bad scooter accident, and I’m trying to upgrade so I’m not just a bosun anymore. I want to try and become an officer,’ she expressed.
‘Hope’: In another slide, she opened up about her brother’s tragic death and expressed her ‘hope’ that bringing awareness to addiction can help others in the world facing a similar battle
Step back: Malia is known for starring on Below Deck Mediterranean and was the show for a total of three seasons, however, last year she confirmed that she would be stepping away from the show
She also told Metro in a separate interview at the time, ‘I haven’t left. It’s. not that I might never come back to the show. I’m just not on the next season.’ White then added, ‘I’m studying for this big [exam], so it’s just a good time for me to take a break and take a step back.’
The TV personality also shut down ‘misconceptions’ that her exit was related to co-star Hannah Ferrier’s axe from the show.
‘I don’t hold any regrets or anxiety toward the show. It’s just what’s happened has happened and time to move on from it. Everyone’s learned, and it’s time to just move on.’
Despite taking time away from Below Deck, Malia is slated to appear on Winter House which premieres later this month on October 24.
