Playboy model Ariane Bellamar dies of a heart attack aged 46 as ex-husband speaks of 'unbelievable' loss

Ariane Bellamar died unexpectedly of a heart attack in Nevada last December. Her death has only just been announced.

Bellamar’s ex-husband, Tanner Slaught, announced her untimely death in a post on the model’s Facebook page. “It is with great sadness that I am bringing out the news that on December 20th 2024 – Ariane passed away,” Slaught wrote in the post. He added: “While this unbelievable news is shocking because she was only 46, I can assure you that I have verified this truth.”

Slaught, who shared two daughters with Bellamar, also said his former wife’s death was unexpected and caused a large financial burden on her family and himself. “Her extremely early departure from this world has caught everyone off guard and we were not prepared for this,” he said.

In January, Slaught created a GoFundMe to help him and his fellow beneficiary, Scott Shelly, pay for a “modest” funeral for Bellamar. The fundraiser aimed to raise money for transportation costs for her family and friends and ease Shelly and Slaught’s financial responsibility.

Bellamar, who described herself as an actress, activist and mother on her Instagram page, was born in Florida but moved to Toronto, Canada at an early age. She developed a passion for the arts at a young age, and throughout her childhood played the lead roles in various local plays. She later moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15 to pursue her acting dreams. She worked as a waitress and a pole dancer and then, after six years, she was given a role as an extra in “Entourage”. Hugh Hefner made cameos in the show and that is how Bellamar met him. She went on to forge a lasting relationship with the Playboy Corporation.

As well as modeling for the Hugh Hefner’s famous company, Bellamar made appearances in several shows and movies. She is most known for portraying herself in episodes of the reality TV show “Beverly Hills Nannies.” She also appeared in one episode of “The Millionaire Matchmaker” and “Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell”. The Clark County Corner’s Office obtained the late star’s death report on December 20, confirming that the star died of a heart attack but did not provide more information, as reported by TMZ.

Bellamar and Slaught married in 2015 and had two children, but they divorced after several years together. Many tributes have been left to Bellamar on Slaught’s post. One person wrote: “Omg I am so sorry ! I met her in Cali and we had such a great time at Sushi. She was the sweetest person. This makes me so sad I can't believe it. Sending prayers to you and your family.”

Another said: “She was my best friend in High school…I can’t believe this So sorry for your loss. Sending prayers to all of the family.” A third person said: “I knew Ari back in st. Louis. I'm shocked to hear this. Rip.”