‘America's Next Top Model’ Contestant Jael Strauss Dead At 34

“America’s Next Top Model” alum Jael Strauss has passed away after battling stage 4 breast cancer. She was 34 years old.

Strauss died just two months after revealing that she had cancer. On Oct. 5, she posted on Facebook that she had rapidly progressive metastatic inflammatory breast cancer. She also noted that the cancer was incurable and had spread aggressively throughout her body.

Strauss said that treatment of her cancer could prolong her life for a few months. However, she decided to stop chemotherapy around Halloween. She then started hospice care on Nov. 22.

“First night in hospice,” Strauss wrote on her Facebook page. “So many things I never knew about life. Or death. So many things.”

The model’s friends and family have released a statement following her demise. “The one blessing was that we were able to show her how loved she was before she passed,” the statement to TMZ read. “She brought so much light to people.”

A GoFundMe was created for Strauss with a $30,000 goal to fund her treatment. It raised more than $18,000.

Strauss competed on Cycle 8 of “ANTM.” She finished sixth place on the show. She was known for her free spirit and fashion flair. She loved donning various wigs. In the competition, she revealed that she was half-black, which surprised host Tyra Banks.

In the makeover portion of the show, a brunette weave was sewn onto her head for eight hours. Despite the long time it took to attach the weave to her head, Mr. Jay decided to remove it. That’s why she ended up having short brown hair, and she resorted to wearing different wigs to change her look from time to time.

A memorable episode of the show featured Strauss being pushed into a pool by rapper 50 Cent for being too rowdy and for talking about his hometown in a bad way, as per Entertainment Weekly.

After “ANTM” Cycle 8, Strauss modeled for The Legging Project and Hitch Couture. She also appeared in an advertisement in Seventeen magazine.

Aside from “ANTM,” Strauss was also seen on “America's Next Top Model: Exposed.” She appeared with other former contestants including Toccara Jones, Heather Kuzmich, Bianca Golden, Camille McDonald and Joanie Dodds. She was also featured on “America's Next Top Model: Revealed” and “America's Next Top Model” Cycle 10, in which she appeared as a blonde cheerleader.