“Born This Way” star Cristina Sanz has died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest.
Sanz was 36 years old. She’s known for starring in the A&E reality series, which followed adults with Down syndrome overcoming obstacles and pursuing their personal and professional goals.
Sanz’s parents, Mariano and Beatriz, announced the heartbreaking news on Instagram Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our daughter, Cristina, passed away Monday morning,” a post on Sanz’s Instagram account read. “She suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while at her Day Program and was rushed to the hospital.”
Her parents shared that despite the doctors’ best efforts to stabilize her heart, the reality star didn’t survive.
“We are grateful that we were able to be by her side at the end,” they wrote. “Her death was a total shock and unexpected.”
“We will forever treasure the gift of her life,” they added. “We will all carry in our hearts the wonderful “Cristina moments” that she gave us.”
“Born This Way” lasted four seasons, from 2015 to 2019. The show chronicled Sanz’s life with her then-husband, Angel. Their wedding was documented in a 2018 episode.
But the two split split in 2021, sharing that the COVID-19 confinement put a strain on their marriage, TMZ reported.
Sanz’s last Instagram post was in December 2025, when she shared a pic with the cast of “Born This Way.”
The critically acclaimed series won three Emmys — one in 2016 for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, as well as one for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program and another for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program in 2017.
A&E shared in a statement about Sanz’s death, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Cristina Sanz, who touched the hearts of many through her time on ‘Born This Way.’ We extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family and all who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.”
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