Raechelle Chase, popular New Zealand body-builder and fitness influencer, has died, her daughter confirmed in a touching statement. Chase, a mother of 5, had 1.4 million followers on Facebook, and would often make inspirational posts on fitness and also on being a single mother.
The cause of death is not known yet and New Zealand police are investigating the case.
"Given the recent nature of the death, no further information is available at this stage,” the spokesperson of Ministry of Justice said.
Her oldest daughter, Anna Chase in a statement wrote, "She was supportive, kind-hearted and always had the best advice for us. She was a wildly driven woman with ambition and has inspired millions of people around the world."
"I miss her immensely and that love won't ever fade," she added.
She was married to Chris Chase for 14 years up until February 2015, when they became embroiled in a messy divorce, according to news.com.au. Chris was later caught for involvement in drug trafficking and was jailed for 10 years.
She got into body-building from a young age and won several competitions in New Zealand. In 2011, Raechelle Chase became the first woman from New Zealand to participate in the prestigious Olympia body-building event in Las Vegas.
In 2016, Raechelle wrote an article detailing her "toxic" post-divorce relationship, warning others to leave abusive relationships, especially for the sake of children.
She mentioned how raising her children alone made her feel more confident and empowered, even while being nine months pregnant with her two youngest children.
In her final post on Facebook, she posted one of her photos from a shoot for Oxygen Magazine — one of over 14 covers she appeared on during her career, PerthNow reported.
