Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst suffered from depression and kept it from her closest friends and family, her mother said in a heartbreaking Instagram post Wednesday.
April Simpkins wrote about her daughter’s death just a few hours after the city medical examiner’s office confirmed the 30-year-old beauty queen died by suicide Sunday.
“While it may be hard to believe, it’s true. Cheslie led both a public and a private life. In her private life, she was dealing with high-functioning depression which she hid from everyone — including me, her closest confidant — until very shortly before her death,” Simpkins wrote.
“While her life on this earth was short, it was filled with many beautiful memories. We miss her laugh, her words of wisdom, her sense of humor and mostly her hugs. We miss all of it — we miss all of her. She was a vital part of our family which makes this loss even more devastating.”
Kryst jumped to her death Sunday morning from the Orion, the W. 42nd St. building where she lived, leaving behind a note indicating she wanted to leave her possessions with her mother, police said. Her note gave no reason why she wanted to take her life, police said.
Kryst, who was crowned Miss USA in 2019, had a law degree and worked on as on-air correspondent for “Extra.”
The day of her death she posted a message on Instagram: “May this day bring you rest and peace.”
In a March 2021 essay in Allure magazine, Kryst provided a rare window into her thoughts.
“Each time I say ‘I’m turning 30,’ I cringe a little,” she wrote. “Sometimes I can successfully mask this uncomfortable response with excitement; other times, my enthusiasm feels hollow, like bad acting. Society has never been kind to those growing old, especially women. (Occasional exceptions are made for some of the rich and a few of the famous.)”
Her mother urged anyone considering suicide to call the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273-8255.
“Cheslie – to the world, you were a ball of sunshine wrapped in smiles. We talked, FaceTimed or texted one another all day, every day. You were more than a daughter — you were my very best friend. Talking with you was one of the best parts of my day. Your smile and laugh were infectious,” she wrote.
“I love you baby girl with all my heart. I miss you desperately. I know one day we’ll be together again. Until then, rest easy and in peace.”
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2022, New York Daily News
