Lynn Ban, star of Netflix reality show Bling Empire: New York, has died after having brain surgery due to a skiing accident.

The 51-year-old jewellery designer from Singapore died on Monday, her son Sebastian announced on social media – weeks after she underwent emergency brain surgery due to a skiing accident.

Last month, Ban, who lived in New York, shared with her Instagram followers that she “had a ski accident that would change my life” while on holiday in Aspen on Christmas Eve.

She revealed a CAT scan showed she had a severe head injury, including a brain bleed, meaning she needed an emergency craniotomy.

She said she woke up in hospital with her husband Jett Kain nearby, and hoped to recover this year.

In an update on her Instagram account on Wednesday, her son Sebastian wrote: “My mum passed away on Monday. I know she wanted to share her journey after her accident and brain surgery, so I thought she would appreciate one last post sharing the news to people who supported her.

“Many of you followed my mum but never got the chance to know her or meet her in person,” he added.

“I would like to take the chance to share who my mum really was. She was and always will be my best friend, the best mother to me, and someone who cared for all.

“She always had a smile on her face even when times were tough during her recovery process.

“She was a fighter until the end and is the strongest woman I know. She was the funniest and coolest mum I could ever ask for. She took care of me, my dad, and our entire family throughout her whole life.

“Although she may be gone now, I will do everything I can to make sure she is never forgotten and for her life to be celebrated as it deserves to be.

“As a final message to my mum, I would just like to say that I will miss you forever and to end in something she always told me ‘I love you more than life itself’ mum.”

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Ban starred in Bling Empire: New York, a spinoff of the popular Netflix reality series Bling Empire, which followed a group of wealthy Asian American socialites living in Los Angeles.

She also had a private jewellery label which catered to a host of celebrities, including thRihanna, Beyonce, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone.

Pop star Rihanna was among those who paid tribute on social media, writing: “2025 is rocking me at this point! This is too much!!! Lynn you will always be our fairy godmother!”

Designers Bea Akerlund and Phillip Bloch, Younger star Debi Mazar, and A Star Is Born actress Drena De Niro also paid tribute.

Young Electric Boat Racing League E1 continues to expand its lineup of race teams as it approaches its second UIM E1 World Championship Season in 2025. Several big names in sports and entertainment signed on for season 1, but this next Championship series includes a new name – LeBron James, who will lead Team AlUla.

As you may or may not know, the UIM E1 World Championship is a new electric racing boat series first announced in 2022. It kicked off its inaugural season in February 2024 with the Jeddah GP, held in Saudi Arabia.

Since its inception, E1 co-founders Rodi Basso and Alejandro Agag have put together an impressive roster of team owners and continue to grow the league to draw more attention to sustainable motorsport and deliver stiffer competition.

Before season 1 of the UIM E1 World Championship Series, several familiar names joined as team owners, including Formula 1 veteran Sergio Perez, superstar DJ Steve Aoki, musician Mark Anthony, and, most recently, Will Smith.

Additional teams are owned by sports legends like Rafael Nadal, Didier Drogba, and the NFL’s Tom Brady, whose team won the inaugural electric boat racing championship this past November. Today, E1 has announced a new team ahead of season 2, and it’s another world-renowned professional athlete who knows how to win – LeBron James.

LeBron James to lead Team AlUla in E1’s second season

The E1 Series shared news of LeBron James joining as its latest team owner this morning, mere days before the nascent electric boat racing league kicks off its second season once again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. That venue is fitting, considering LeBron James will lead a new squad called Team AlUla.

“AlUla” comes from an ancient oasis city in Saudi Arabia by the same name that is home to Hegra, the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. James’ new team will be piloted by racers Rusty Wyatt and Catie Munnings. The sure-fire NBA hall of famer spoke about becoming the latest E1 racing team owner:

As a lifelong fan of sports and competition, the opportunity to own an E1 team that represents such a high level of innovation in sports is incredibly exciting, E1 is a new type of global competition that’s revolutionizing water racing and I’m proud to be at the forefront of its expansion in season two.

Per E1, James has support from Co-Team Principals John Marlow and Barny Whitwham, who have a combined 30 years of experience working in commercial and technical roles in FIA Formula 1 and World Rally Championship motorsport teams.

Keep an eye out for LeBron James and Team AlUla competing in the Racebird seen above during season two of the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF. Racing kicks off this Saturday, January 25, during the Jeddah GP. Here’s the 2025 E1 race calendar as it currently stands:

• January 24-25: E1 Jeddah GP
• February 21-22: Visit Qatar E1 Doha GP
• TBA
• July 18-19: E1 Monaco
• August 22-23: E1 Lake Como GP
• TBA
• November 7-8: E1 Championship, Miami

Two NASA rocket missions are set to explore the mysteries of auroras, aiming to uncover why they flicker, pulsate, or feature dark patches. These rockets, part of NASA’s effort to understand Earth’s space environment, will launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, starting January 21, 2025. The findings could contribute to protecting astronauts and spacecraft from the impacts of space weather, as auroras are closely tied to the planet’s magnetosphere and charged particles from space.

GIRAFF Mission to Investigate Pulsating Auroras

According to the Ground Imaging to Rocket Investigation of Auroral Fast Features (GIRAFF) mission, two rockets equipped with identical instruments will target specific aurora subtypes. One rocket will focus on fast-pulsating auroras, flashing a few times per second, while the other will study flickering auroras, which blink up to 15 times per second. As reported by an official press release by NASA, as per Robert Michell, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and principal investigator of the GIRAFF mission, the data collected will analyse energy levels, electron quantities, and arrival times to determine the mechanisms driving these phenomena.

Black Aurora Phenomenon to Be Explored

The Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor mission, led by Marilia Samara, also of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, will study “black auroras,” where dark patches appear within auroral displays. These areas are suspected to form due to a reversal in electron streams, causing electrons to escape rather than collide with atmospheric particles. According to Samara, distinguishing genuine black auroras requires detecting outgoing electrons, making the rocket’s instruments crucial for the study.

Challenges in Targeting Dynamic Auroras

Timing the launches precisely to intercept moving auroras presents a significant challenge. Ground-based cameras at the launch site and in Venetie, Alaska, will monitor auroral movements to predict their trajectories. Both mission teams rely heavily on experience and intuition to ensure success, highlighting the complexity of studying these fleeting natural light displays.