#suddenloss

Rising Fashion Model Tally Berry Dies of Apparent Heart Attack at 29

March 1, 2026 — New York

Tally Berry, a rising star in the international fashion scene, has died at the age of 29 following an apparent heart attack, her family confirmed Saturday morning.

According to a statement released by her publicist, Berry suffered a medical emergency late Friday evening at her Manhattan apartment. Emergency responders transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Preliminary reports indicate the cause was a sudden cardiac event. An official medical examiner’s report is pending.

Berry, known for her striking runway presence and signature auburn hair, had quickly become a favorite among designers and photographers over the past five years. She appeared in numerous high-profile campaigns and was featured on the covers of several international fashion magazines. Industry insiders often described her as “fearlessly elegant” and “deeply professional.”

Born in Portland, Oregon, Berry moved to New York at 19 to pursue modeling. Friends say her determination and warm personality helped her stand out in a competitive industry.

“She had this rare combination of strength and kindness,” said longtime friend and stylist Marissa Cole. “She worked incredibly hard, but she always made time for people.”

In recent months, Berry had been advocating for mental health awareness within the fashion community, speaking openly about stress and the pressures models face behind the scenes. There were no public indications that she had been experiencing serious health issues.

Tributes have poured in across social media from fellow models, designers, and fans around the world, many sharing memories of her generosity and vibrant spirit.

Berry is survived by her parents and a younger brother. Her family has requested privacy during this difficult time and announced that a private memorial service will be held later this week.

“She lived boldly and beautifully,” the family’s statement read. “We are heartbroken by this unimaginable loss.”

Of Loss

Sometimes a quotation, a mere snippet of words, will speak to your heart in quiet yet astonishing ways.

Last month, on the weekend of the Perseid Meteror Shower, I lost my brother to suicide. My little brother who played the drums, loved to watch the stars and had my face. No need to expound on the reasons - there were many. Or our relationship - it was difficult. Or the whys - they were obvious.

Nonetheless I loved him as deeply as I would love a part of myself, a limb or a hand always present and taken for granted - sensed without seeing. I was "one of four" for as long as my memory stretches and I still feel truncated, lopsided and uncomfortably off balance.

Intellectually I understood how he ended up on this path and that we had tried everything. I felt grief but not guilt - loss but not responsiblity. Still I was haunted by the constant re-imagining of his last days and moments: his physical pain, his aloneness, his desperation.

As a distraction I had begun reading ABOSAA - and happened upon this thought from Claire when she was recovering from a life-threatening illness, "If I was going to live - and I was - I needed to gather up the strands of life that tethered me to the earth, and reattach them."

That was it. The strands of my brother's life had been unraveling piece, by piece over time until he became untethered to this life. Suddenly the image of his death that I had stubbornly fixed upon in my mind's eye shifted as throughly as if I had risen from a chair and physically turned around.

Instead of his prison, I could see his release. Instead of his fall, I could see his ascent.

My mind now imagines him breaking away from the gravity of this earth and floating free. Always I will wish that he had chosen healing over this heartache but now I can rest a bit easier holding his image in my heart as another point of light burning bright in the night sky. Free and whole and home.

"Words

are powerful

forces of nature.

they are destruction.

they are nourishment.

they are flesh.

they are water.

they are flowers

and bone.

they burn. they cleanse

they erase. they etch."