Social media personality Mary Magdalene has been found dead in Thailand, local media have reported, sparking shock and an outpouring of tributes from fans and fellow influencers.
The online star, whose real name was Denise Ivonne Jarvis Gongora, reportedly died after falling from the balcony of a ninth floor room at a high rise hotel in Patong, Phuket. She had arrived at the hotel for what was said to be a one night stay. She was 33.
According to Phuket News, hotel staff discovered her body in the parking area shortly after 1.30pm local time. Police confirmed that she was taken from Patong Hospital to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a post mortem examination will be carried out to determine the exact cause of death.
The tragedy came just hours after the influencer made a cryptic social media post. Reports say she shared the final scene from The Truman Show alongside a childhood photograph of herself. In the scene, Jim Carrey’s character Truman Burbank says: “And in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening and good night.” She also reportedly changed one of her Instagram usernames to “MaryMagdaleneDied”.
Tributes quickly poured in following the news of her death. Rapper Kreayshawn, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Plane Jane and influencer Eden the Doll were among those who expressed their grief online.
Her brother Ivan also shared an emotional message, posting a photo of the pair together in Mexico. “I wish I’d spent more getting to know you,” he wrote. “You are so funny and so creative, way more than I’ll ever be. I love you much more than words will ever say. You are my world. I wish things were different. Thank you for everything I love you sis.”
Mary Magdalene rose to prominence online, amassing nearly half a million followers through her extreme cosmetic surgeries and provocative content. She was widely known for spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on plastic surgery, as well as for her heavily tattooed appearance. Beyond her online persona, she also built a cult following as an artist, creating psychedelic paintings, sculptures and self portraits.
She previously spoke openly about her upbringing, saying she was raised in a strict religious household. According to her accounts, she rebelled as a teenager, becoming involved in drugs and s3x, later working as a stripper and escort before turning to online content creation. She had her first cosmetic procedure at 21 and went on to dramatically alter her appearance over the years, including travelling outside the US to undergo surgeries that were unavailable to her there.
In one interview, she described a particularly dangerous operation, saying: “The most unusual operation I had was on my vagina. I custom designed it, so I have the fattest in the world. I almost died during (the) procedure. I had to get two blood transfusions. The doctor said I was losing so much blood, and turning very pale. He thought I was going to die.”
She also faced serious complications from surgery in recent years, including a ruptured breast implant in 2023 and issues linked to an eyeball tattoo, which caused ink to leak and stain the skin around her eye.
Authorities in Thailand have not yet released full details surrounding her death as investigations continue.
