Raechelle Chase: Influencer mum whose fitness tips inspired 1.4 million people suddenly dies, leaving behind five children

A New Zealand influencer and mother of five, famous for her inspiring fitness posts, has died.

Bodybuilder and fitness writer Raechelle Chase – who at one point had more than 1.4 million followers on Facebook and has been described as an ‘internet sensation’ – died earlier this month.

Her cause of death is not known at this time.

Bodybuilder and fitness writer Raechelle Chase – who at one point had more than 1.4 million followers on Facebook and has been described as an ‘internet sensation’ – died earlier this month

Ms Chase’s death is being investigated by the New Zealand coroner

Ms Chase was the first Kiwi to qualify for a bodybuilding event at Olympia and competed in a series of international competitions.

Most recently, she worked as a fitness model appearing on magazine covers at least fourteen times and as an influencer offering online fitness mentoring.

News of her death led to an outpouring of tributes, led by her eldest daughter Anna Chase.

‘She was helpful, kind-hearted and always had the best advice for us. She was a driven woman with ambition and inspired millions of people around the world,” she wrote Stuff.

“I miss her so much and that love will never fade.”

Ms. Chase worked as a fitness model who had appeared on magazine covers at least fourteen times and as an influencer who offered online fitness mentoring.

Ms Chase was the first Kiwi to qualify for a bodybuilding event at Olympia and competed in a series of international competitions

Friend Keith O’Connell described her death as “so sudden, so unexpected.”

“I’m not going to lie, few things in my life have hit me as hard as your passing… You had so much left to live. So much love to give,” he wrote earlier this month.

“You were, still are, and always will be one of the kindest, beautiful souls I will ever experience.”

She was last on social media on September 30

“Growth can be painful, change can be painful, but nothing is more painful than being stuck somewhere you don’t belong,” she posted on Instagram.

She also shared photos from a magazine photo shoot on Facebook late last month.

Mrs. Chase had five children and was married to her husband Chris Chase for fourteen years until their divorce in February 2015.

Mrs. Chase had five children and was married to her husband Chris Chase for fourteen years until their divorce in February 2015

Chris Chase was jailed for 10 years after being arrested in 2012 for his role in distributing a drug similar to MDMA.

In 2016, Ms. Chase wrote an article for Stuff in which she describes the ‘toxic’ relationship she found herself in after leaving her husband.

‘The relationship I was in taught me a lot about what I don’t want, and what I clearly need to avoid. It wasn’t just me who suffered, it was my entire family,” Ms. Chase wrote.

“So if you know you’re in an abusive relationship and don’t have the courage to leave, do it for your children. Grasp what you need long enough to survive when you crawl out of that hole, because I promise it will be worth it.”

Ms Chase’s death is being investigated by the New Zealand coroner.

“Given the recent nature of the death, no further information is available at this stage,” a New Zealand Ministry of Justice spokesperson said.