Cheslie Kryst Tragic Death: 2022 Miss USA Honors Late Beauty Queen After Untimely Passing
Cheslie Kryst's legacy, although it was cut short after her death, is still burning, especially in the Miss USA pageants.
Beauty queens from different states across the US faced each other again on Monday as the annual pageant crowned its new Miss USA. Although the event's focus is the winner, R'Bonney Gabriel of Texas, the pageant also honored Kryst eight months following her death.
Insider quoted FYI correspondent Christian Murphy's speech about the late model, praising her for her contributions to the pageant industry.
"Cheslie was crowned Miss USA 2019. And in the words of her family, she embodied love, and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA, and as a host on Extra. Most importantly as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor, and colleague," Murphy shared, as quoted by ET Online.
He then shared an inspiring message about Kryst and told everyone that her influence live on even after her passing.
The audience during the Miss USA pageant offered a moment of silence to complete their tribute to the model and correspondent.
How Did Cheslie Kryst Die?
The world was left shocked when New York Post first confirmed the news about Kryst's tragic passing earlier this year.
Reports said she was found in the street near the Orion building where she was residing. The law enforcement ruled Cheslie Kryst's manner of death as suicide, concluding she jumped from the 29th floor of the 60-story building before hitting the ground.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed it to PEOPLE a day after her death.
It was revealed that she left a note before committing suicide, leaving everything to her mother, April Simpkins. The matriarch also revealed that Kryst suffered depression before the incident.
For what it's worth, her friends saw a red flag for the first time when she wrote an essay on her 30th birthday, saying she was running out of time. In the piece, Kryst opened up about how society has never been kind to people, especially those who are growing old.
Kryst joined Miss USA 2019 and served as a complex litigation attorney while working on "Extra" as a correspondent. Her time in the network led her to win two Daytime Emmy nominations.
