Malia White announced the “devastating loss” of her brother Jay at age 34 on Tuesday.
His death followed a ‘battle with addiction,’ she said on Instagram.
The Bellow Deck Mediterranean star, 33 – who recently stepped down from the show – paid an emotional tribute to her brother by sharing pictures of Jay while raising awareness of addiction.
She revealed that his death happened last week on Thursday, October 5, ‘in the middle of the night’ due to a battle with addiction.
The TV personality typed: “To all who knew our brother Jay, it is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news of his passing. His death is a devastating loss for our family and his friends, but we are grateful for the time we had with him.’
Grieving: Malia White mourned the ‘devastating loss’ of her brother Jay, following his ‘battle with addiction’ at the age of 34, and broke the tragic news on Instagram on Tuesday
Emotional tribute: The Below Deck Mediterranean star paid an emotional tribute to her brother by sharing pictures of Jay and also raised awareness about addiction
Battling addiction: The TV personality tweeted: “To all who knew our brother Jay, it is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news of his passing,” adding that he passed away last week on Thursday, October 5
Malia said: “Jay was happiest outdoors, especially fishing rod in hand by the riverbank with his dog Aspen. To those who had the pleasure of knowing Jay, he was truly a kind soul, ready to help anyone at a moment’s notice.’
In conclusion, the reality star added, “We’ll share information about the celebration of life later.”
White then offered resources to those “struggling with addiction” to help individuals “get the support you need.”
As well as writing tributes to Jay – whose full name is Joseph – the media personality also shared pictures of his late brother, including one of him smiling for the camera as he enjoyed a fishing trip.
She also posted a throwback photo of herself posing next to her sibling when they were younger.
Malia later took to her Instagram stories and shared a picture that simply read, ‘Fuck Fentanyl.’ She captioned it below: “If you’re struggling with addiction, know you’re not alone.”
In another slide, she spoke about her brother’s tragic death and expressed her “hope” that raising awareness about addiction can help others in the world who are facing a similar battle.
“I don’t usually share personal things about family, but I hope that being open about my brother’s struggle will help someone else,” she wrote to her followers.
In the past: She also posted a throwback photo of herself posing next to her sibling when they were younger
Special Memories: Malia expressed, “Jay was happiest outdoors, especially fishing rod in hand by the riverbank with his dog Aspen. For those who had the pleasure of knowing Jay, he was truly a kind soul, ready to help anyone at a moment’s notice.
Reminder: Malia later took to her Instagram stories and shared a picture that simply read ‘Fuck Fentanyl’ and added: ‘If you’re struggling with addiction, know you’re not alone.’
She revealed: ‘We adopted Jay into our family at a young age and this is not the outcome in this life that he deserved.’
“To all those who share similar stories of addiction with me, thank you for your vulnerability. My heart goes out to you and your families.’
Social media users flooded the comments section of her post to express their condolences to Malia and her family following the announcement that Jay had died.
Summer House star Amanda Batula wrote: “Sending you so much love and big hugs. I am so sorry for your loss.’
Bellow Deck’s Courtney Weil added: “Malia, I’m so sorry about this. Sending so much love to you and your family,” while Bell’s Deck Med tweeted, “Take it easy Jay. I love you monkeys. Always here even when we are oceans apart.’
Fellow Bravo star Corey Kiefer also wrote: ‘Stay strong, remember all the smiles and know the VH family is here to support you.’
Malia is known for starring in Bell’s Deck Mediterranean and was on the show for a total of three seasons. However, last year she confirmed that she would be retiring from the show.
During the interview on Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered PodcastMalia stated, ‘I took a year off.’
“I recently had a very bad scooter accident and I’m trying to build myself up so I’m not just a boss anymore.” I want to try to become an officer,” she said.
‘Hope’: In another slide, she spoke about her brother’s tragic death and expressed her ‘hope’ that raising awareness about addiction can help others around the world facing a similar battle
Step back: Malia is best known for starring in Bell’s Deck Mediterranean and was on the show for a total of three seasons, however last year she confirmed she would be stepping down from the show
She also said subway in a separate interview at the time, “I didn’t leave. His. not that I may never return to the show. I’m just not in the next season.’ White then added, “I’m studying for this big (exam), so it’s a good time to take a break and take a step back.”
The TV personality also dismissed ‘misconceptions’ that her exit was linked to co-star Hannah Ferrier’s axing.
“I have no regrets or worries about the show.” What happened simply happened and it’s time to move on. Everyone has learned, and it’s time to move on.’
Despite taking time away from Bellow Deck, Malia is set to appear in The Winter House, which premieres later this month on October 24.