Sizwe Sibiya
Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst has died after jumping from a 60-floor residential building in Manhattan, New York.
According to police reports, the 30-year-old jumped from a “high elevation” of the building on the morning of Sunday 30 January.
As well as a beauty pageant winner, Cheslie was an activist and a lawyer who – free of charge – helped her clients to get reduced prison sentences..
She also worked as a news correspondent for ExtraTV who confirmed the news of her death in a joint statement with her family. She was described as a loving person by family and colleagues.
“Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on Extra,” read the statement published by CNN.
Upon hearing the news, former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2020 Zozibini Tunzi also shared her last words on Instagram.
“Cheslie my friend, I am devastated. I didn’t sleep a wink, caught in between not believing the news and trying to make sense of what is happening,” wrote Tunzi, who was a close friend and former housemate of Kryst’s.
“You took me by surprise, Queen. I am not ready for a world you don’t exist in,” wrote Zozibini, who met Cheslie for the first time at the 2019 New York Fashion Week.
Image source: Instagram
