Influencer Mila De Jesus, who rose to fame after documenting her weight loss journey on social media, has passed away at the age of 35.
The news was confirmed by her family via separate statements on social media. On Facebook, her husband George Kowszik wrote: "I am not really good with words and talking here… I lost my beautiful wife and my best friend yesterday that I love so much for her. I don’t know what to say."
Two days later, Mila's daughter Anna Clara took to her mother's Instagram page with a black and white picture of the influencer. In the caption, translated from Portuguese to English, she penned: "I, Anna Clara, am posting this condolence note. We are very sad to hear of the passing of our beautiful mother. We appreciate all the prayers and condolences. Continue to pray for us. Thank you."
Fans rushed to the comments section to share their sadness, with one person writing: "Sending lots of love and comfort to you family and close friends. She brought so much joy and will be missed," while another commented: "So sad, still can't believe it. My deepest condolences to the family."
Mila, who was originally from Brazil but lived in Boston, Massachusetts, leaves behind four children, including Anna Clara. Her cause of death has not been revealed.
The 35-year-old gained a large following online after undergoing bariatric surgery in October 2017, after which she documented her weight loss journey.
In her latest update from November 2023, she shared a before and after post featuring two pictures taken 13 years apart. "13 years between one picture... 6 years since a decision that changed my life in so many ways," she penned. "On one side Mila aged 22 and on the other Mila aged 35, how much we change huh, how we grow and how we learn. Pride girl pride."
Mila amassed over 60K Instagram followers and 100k YouTube subscribers through her weight loss documentation.