Miss Universe New Zealand finalist Amber-Lee Friis has died. Friis' talent agency, The Talent Tree, confirmed the tragic news Monday. She was 23.
"It is with immense sadness we acknowledge the sudden passing of a beautiful and talented Wahine Amber-lee Friis," Talent Tree wrote in a Facebook statement.
New Zealand Police told USA TODAY Friday that officers responded to a "sudden death" on May 18. No more details on her cause of death were available, but the police department said they have referred the death to a coroner.
Friis, an Auckland native, finished as a finalist during the 2018 Miss Universe New Zealand pageant, according to her Facebook page.
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| Miss Universe New Zealand Finalist Amber-Lee Friis Dies at 23: 'A Force to Be Reckoned With' |
Miss Universe New Zealand CEO Nigel Godfrey remembered Friis as a "force to be reckoned with."
"She was feisty, definitely took no prisoners, but she was a beautiful soul and you 100% knew what you were getting," Godfrey wrote in a Facebook tribute. "She was genuine, honest and she had an energy few others possess, her heart was most definitely in the right place. We liked and respected her and were very proud to call her a friend, long after the competition had finished."
Godfrey said "the world is a lesser place without her in it."
"She had a great deal more to give and it is a dreadful tragedy that she won't be here to (realize) her unlimited potential," he concluded. "RIP Amber Lee you have left us far, far too soon."
This is what you have to think about Amber Lee Friis:
1. The Daily Mail Reports Friis Died By Suicide: While the specific reason for death has not been openly announced, Daily Mail reports that she ended her own life.
Miss World New Zealand noted, “She defeated such a great amount to go along with us in any case and she won our adoration and regard as it so happens. She was a delightful, energizing, and one of a kind individual with a remarkable vitality forever. Amber stayed a positive and steady companion to us once the opposition was finished and in the following couple of years, we were pleased to call her a companion. The world has lost a young lady who had such a great amount to offer and that is a terrible and outright disaster.”
2. Friis Opened Up About Being Bullied Growing Up and Gaining Weight While Depressed: In a meeting with Stuff in 2018, the belle of the ball said that she was provoked by cohorts experiencing childhood in Auckland. They called her “Chimoan” in light of the fact that her “inclined eyes” and “tanned skin.” Amber is half-Samoan from her dad’s side of the family and her grandma is a boss in Savai’i.
Amber likewise uncovered that she had not exactly a perfect childhood. She had moved around multiple times when she was 15, reviewing evenings when there wasn’t sufficient nourishment for supper She stated, “I sat in my room one night and figuring how hard life could be. At a youthful age, you feel the world is burdening your shoulders.”
At 15, Amber moved in with her beau. While concentrating to turn into a technician, she worked at Pizza Hut three evenings per week. Amber said that during this time, she put on a great deal of weight. “I had a negative point of view about everything. I imagined myself just like a furious, fat, old woman yet then I thought: This isn’t what I need to resemble.”
3. Life Turned Around for Friis After She Moved In With Her Aunt and Uncle: Amber revealed to Stuff that in the wake of turning 18, she moved into a procession on her auntie and uncle’s property. “They helped me set objectives and gave me I could do anything,” she said.
While working at a web-based promoting organization, she had the option to set aside up enough cash to buy a vehicle, and sign up with a mentor at the exercise centre. Her mentor stated, “If it’s not consuming, it’s not working,” and inside a half year, she lost a lot of her recently put on weight.
“I thought, I’m not going to do anything a universal supermodel wouldn’t do.”
4. Friis was Asked to Compete At Miss Universe New Zealand Via Instagram DM: In the wake of accepting a message on Instagram inquiring as to whether she was keen on perhaps contending in the Miss Universe New Zealand expo, Amber idea it was a trick. In view of her tattoos and ear cot, she didn’t figure she could meet all requirements to contend. Be that as it may, acknowledging it was a real solicitation, she chose to give it a shot.
In May 2018, Amber discovered that she was picked as one of the Top 20 finalists to vie for the title in Auckland. “I was unable to quit shouting and crying,” she said. “It was the best thing ever.” She credited entering the expo for changing her point of view.
“I resembled a lost sheep before I began recording objectives and began concentrating on what I needed to do,” she said. “I felt stuck and powerless. Nobody ever needs to feel that way. I need to enable little youngsters to see their latent capacity and set up an actual existence intend to accomplish it.”
5. The CEO of Miss World New Zealand Called Friis ‘A Force to Be Reckoned With’ Nigel Godfrey, CEO of the Miss World New Zealand rivalry took to his Facebook page to compose a moving tribute to Friis. He shared, “two or three years back when we were running ‘the other one’ Amber-Lee Friis cleared into our lives, she was a power to be dealt with. This was one of the numerous International stories that she produced in the wake of entering, and it’s so miserable to peruse it now.”
“She was feisty, certainly showed no mercy, however she was a delightful soul and you 100% comprehended what you were getting,” Godfrey proceeded. “She was real, legitimate and she had a vitality hardly any others have, her heart was undoubtedly in the correct spot. We preferred and regarded her and were extremely pleased to call her a companion, long after the opposition had wrapped up.”
“Amber Lee turned her life, and undoubtedly her involvement in us around, and into an unimaginably positive power for good. In the years since she has been steadfast and strong and we esteem that above anything. Disastrously she spent away yesterday, the world is a lesser spot without her in it. She had significantly more to give and it is a horrible disaster that she won’t be here to understand her boundless potential. Tear Amber Lee you have left us far, dreadfully soon.”
