Indonesian model Dylan Sada passed away today at the age of 36, with news of her sudden passing coming as a shock to many Indonesians.
Dylan’s death was confirmed by her younger siblings, Dimas Radityo and Aldita Namira, on Instagram this morning.
“Innalillahi wa innailaihi rojiun [We surely belong to God, and to Him we shall return], Aldila Wulandari @dylan_sada has passed away peacefully,” the announcement reads, mentioning Dylan’s birth name.
As is customary in Islam, the family has asked for prayers for Dylan and for those she has wronged in life to forgive her. At the time of writing, her cause of death is not publicly known.
Dylan left home at 19 years old, moving to New York City in her early 20s after dropping out of university. Her maternal grandfather was Pranadjaja, an Indonesian singer who founded the Bina Vokalia singing academy. She first gained prominence online in the late 2000s — during the heyday of art community platform DeviantArt — and went on to become the “It” girl and a role model for many young Indonesians.
Dylan took an interest in photography during her teenage years, and had embarked on an artistic career ever since. The heavily-tatted artist was known for her modeling career, photography, as well as singing. As written on her official website, her works include collaboration with Dutch photographer duo Inez and Vinoodh, American photographer Ryan McGinley for his Yearbook project in 2016, as well as numerous Indonesian fashion labels and magazines, to name a few.
In early 2018, Dylan made headlines after posting photos of her battered face due to physical abuse she endured from her former partner. Not long after, Dylan came forward with the confession that she was sexually abused by her biological father when she was young. According to her, the trauma and taboo surrounding mental health and sexual violence made her left Indonesia in hopes of being able to move on. Dylan wrote that she turned to alcohol and drugs when she was younger and had been struggling with her mental health, which she talked about openly.
After living in Brooklyn for years, Dylan relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana earlier this year. May the legacy of Dylan Sada live on forever.
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