Ryan Channing, the ex-boyfriend of retired Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, died in Bali at the age of 32.
The model, and creator of skincare brand Blaq, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday, but medics couldn’t save Channing, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Jake Channing confirmed the sad news of his “beautiful big brother’s” death in a social media tribute on Wednesday and said his brother’s death was not COVID-related.
“It’s with a heavy heart I announce that my brother Ryan has recently passed away on Sunday the 8th of May at 32 years of age,” Jake wrote alongside a picture of the pair.
“To my big brother, I love you, I’ll see you one day soon you’ll be missed more than you know,” he added.
Thorpe was “saddened” to hear news of Channing’s tragic death, his rep, James Erskine, told The Post.
Channing’s distraught friend said he had been “battling health issues,” leading up to his untimely death this week, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Channing died on Sunday at the age of 32.Blaq GroupBoth Channing and his brother had been living in Bali for short stints, according to the outlet.
In an Instagram post eight weeks ago, Channing shared a hospital snap, writing, “Covid got me GEWD.”
His cause of death is unknown at this time.
Channing and Thorpe — who were in an on-again, off-again relationship for three years — even considered having a baby via surrogacy.
Channing and Thorpe pictured together in Australia in 2017. The pair dated from 2016 until 2019.Getty ImagesTheir union was not meant to be as the pair called it quits in 2019 after striking up a romance in 2016.
“Yes, the rumors are true, we have parted ways. It has all been very amicable. We have stayed friends.” Ryan told The Daily Telegraph at the time.
“We have just gone our separate ways. I have moved out,” he said.
Channing was Thorpe’s first public same-sex romance after coming out as gay in an interview with Michael Parkinson after years of speculation.
The pair split because they had both become so busy so “it is really not the same as it was before,” Channing explained at the time.
Channing, who hailed from Perth, Western Australia, studied Commerce, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship as well as Intellectual Property & International Law, according to a press release.
Thorpe, who was nicknamed Thorpedo in the pool, won a total of nine Olympic medals throughout his successful sporting career.
A two-time Olympian, he tallied up an impressive five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian.
He competed in the Summer Olympics on home soil in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004.
