'Queen of Snapchat' Katie May dies aged 34 after suffering a stroke
- Published
Katie May, an American model who had been called the "Queen of Snapchat", has died at the age of 34.
The star had a stroke on Monday and was seriously ill in hospital but passed away on Thursday.
TMZ reports that she was taken off life support in Los Angeles with her family around her bedside.
The social media star had nearly two million followers on Instagram and appeared in publications like Playboy and Sports Illustrated.
She had reportedly told doctors earlier this week that she had neck pains which specialists told her was a blocked carotid artery.
Katie leaves behind a seven-year-old daughter.
Her family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for supporting her in the future.
Katie, who was originally from Pittsburgh, launched a successful modelling career as a single mother after her PR company went out of business in 2012.
As well as modelling she also worked for the magazine that launched her social media career after a cover shoot.
She told the Huffington Post: "I worked hard to have a career that I was proud of and when the economy collapsed, our PR company closed.
"I knew that I no longer wanted to work for someone else in a 9-5 job.
"I couldn't be without creativity and I had to be true to myself in this next chapter of my life.
"Modelling is not as glamorous as one would think, I have learned. It's incredibly competitive.
"However, I was feeling a bit 'judged' as being a 'model' so being able to grow my business and work with other influencers and brands and negotiate for myself - that really has created a dream job with the marriage of the two sides of the industry."
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