“Forever young”: Shock death of Aussie actress

<p>The family of Perth-based rising star Sariah Saibu, who appeared in an award-winning film in 2021, have confirmed her tragic passing on January 30.</p> <p>Although they did not reveal the cause of death, Sariah’s aunt Cassandra Colvin wrote on Facebook: "A devastating post. This morning we lost our darling Sa Riah. </p> <p>“I am struggling to find the words to express the grief that I and her family are feeling at this time, and I know her loss will be felt by many. </p> <p>“Jenny Saibu and Zakhir Saibu - I send you all my love and strength. A shout out to the beautiful Sariah friends who have already reached out to me and Sariah's family - your words, and the deep love you clearly have for Sariah, provided comfort - I send my love back to you as you all make sense of this tragedy. </p> <p>I have attached a photo shared with me this morning by Jim Bob. It was taken of Sariah about 6 years ago down South and captures her beauty and light. May her radiant soul continue to shine. RIP beautiful - all our love always.”</p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcassandra.colvin.5%2Fposts%2Fpfbid033uHBLUMJFeMtK7ZMMKadrV1rrRXgs3AvdDV3HwM89nHAKtkHnj37NtB74K3t55aKl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="636" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Sariah starred in the 2021 coming-of-age, LGBTQI+ movie <em>Beautiful They</em>, which was screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and earned the Australian Director's Guild's Best Direction of a Short Film award as well as being nominated for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts's (AACTA) Best Short Form Drama award. </p> <p>It was also named the Best Film at Queer Screen Mardi Gras last year, while winning the City Of Melbourne's Best Australian Short Film.</p> <p>An outpouring of grief has flooded social media with family and friends paying tribute to the  “bubbly” and “kind” actress, with a crowdfunding page set up to help with funeral expenses. </p> <p>“Forever young, forever loved,” one person wrote. “A very special soul with a razor-sharp wit. May you rest easy now sweet girl,” wrote another.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/9aawus-sariah?qid=e10324d5f28f41e5e7bb1675dd1935a8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe page</a> describes Saibu as a “gem of our hearts”.</p> <p>“Sariah made everlasting impressions on her community, which has been felt and greatly appreciated by her family and closest friends.”</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook / GoFundMe / Padlet</em></p>

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