Model and influencer Jeff Thomas, who was often spotted at events with glamorous celebrities, has died. He was 35 years old.
Authorities discovered Thomas’ body last Wednesday at an apartment complex in Miami, with witnesses claiming that he jumped from the balcony, TMZ reported.
While the autopsy has been completed, officials haven’t officially disclosed a cause of death at this time. However, suicide is suspected, according to the outlet.
A fixture in the modeling world, Thomas had been signed to London-based agency AMCK, and appeared in various runway shows, magazines and commercials.
The native Floridian was also the founder and director of the art consultancy One Popsicle.
The fitness enthusiast was active on Instagram, where the self-proclaimed “proud dog dad” and “aspiring fire fighter” frequently uploaded pictures of his chiseled jawline and ripped physique to his more than 120,000 followers.
Some of the photos on his page showed Thomas mingling with various A-list celebrities, including actress Megan Fox, 26, and pop star and “The Masked Singer’ judge Nicole Scherzinger, 44.
iamjeffthomas/Instagram
Jeff Thomas, a model with a large social media following, has died after cops received a call from a source claiming he had taken his own life, TMZ reported.Instagram/Jeff ThomasIn one of his final posts before he died, Thomas uploaded a black and white image of his latest tattoo, which read “resilience.”
Thomas had recently posted a heartwarming message about his “#1 Grandma” visiting from California on March 5.
“Her dear friend decided to take my beloved Grandma on the cruise after originally planning to go with her recent husband whom passed away during the pandemic,” he captioned a sweet video of her arriving at the Miami airport. “It was a process to do it all after finagling my hectic work day/week, the start to my EMT classes, getting a flat tire, moving into my new home and my transition moving from Los Angles to Miami.
“However, somehow I make it work for those that I love, deserve it and appreciate those efforts since they do the same for me.”
As news of his passing spread, many in the modeling world took to social media to memorialize Thomas’ loss on his final Instagram post shared one week ago.
“I met you many years ago in NY,” Kris Haigh, an LA-based fashion designer, wrote on the model’s Instagram page. “You never failed to bring an up beat energy every time I saw you.”
Haigh added, “We never know what people are really going through. I will use this as a reminder to ask people how they are more even when they seem happy on the outside. RIP Jeff.”
Thomas had been signed to London-based agency AMCK, and appeared in various runway shows, magazines and commercials. iamjeffthomas/InstagramStuntman and fellow fashion model Joe Carozza recalled, “Your infectious smile always brought so much joy to my life. Rest in peace sweet boy.”
Thomas’ modeling agent Gerald Frankowski shared, “It was a pleasure to have been your agent. You did everything you needed to do to succeed in the biz. Frustrating at times but I knew your goals and your passion to get there. More important was the friendship we developed afterwards. Your heart was always in the right place. RIP #DIT.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
