The reality TV community has said goodbye to one of its own.
Cristina Sanz—who appeared on all four seasons of the A&E show Born This Way about the lives of seven individuals living with Down syndrome—died July 6, according to her family. She was 36.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our daughter, Cristina, passed away Monday morning,” her family wrote on Instagram July 8. “She suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while at her Day Program and was rushed to the hospital. Despite the doctors’ best efforts to stabilize her heart, she did not survive.”
Though Sanz’s family described her death as “unexpected” and “a total shock,” they said they were “able to be by her side at the end.”
“We will forever treasure the gift of her life,” the family’s statement concluded. “We will all carry in our hearts the wonderful ‘Cristina moments’ that she gave us.”
In the wake of Sanz’s death, A&E also shared their condolences.