Katie May, a model who’s appeared in publications such as GQ, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy, the latter of which recently dubbed her “the Queen of Snapchat,” has died at just 34 after suffering a stroke due to a blocked carotid artery. May had an unconventional start in modeling as a single mother with a background in public relations and marketing. But after a collapsed business venture and finding herself unemployed and struggling to take care of her daughter, May decided to “follow her true desire to be on the other side of the camera” and give modeling a shot.
Despite the fact that at the time May was much older than many women who get into modeling, obviously it worked out very well for her. At the time of her death, May had nearly 2 million followers on Instagram.
In addition to modeling, May was also a marketing partner for the sports betting website called JetBet, telling the Huffington Post in a recent interview:
I’m showing people you can be intelligent and a model. You can do more than sell protein and tea on social media and you don’t have to be a movie star or musician to have influence. I tell the guys at JetBet when something is corny or won’t work socially and they tell me when my marketing ideas are too expensive or won’t align with their strategy
Beauty and brains is a rare combo, and May seems like she was a remarkable woman. A GoFundMe page has been set up for her 7-year-old daughter. Here are a few SFW photos from her (mostly NSFW) Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/p/_KGruJJ07V/
https://www.instagram.com/p/-sQfzDJ02P/
https://www.instagram.com/p/-Kn8gGp0wQ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/9mIeWtJ08W/
https://www.instagram.com/p/9FBBzMJ05V/
https://www.instagram.com/p/-2RqLBp02O/
(Via Esquire, Huffington Post, TMZ)