Olympic legend Ian Thorpe in mourning after ex-boyfriend Ryan Channing suddenly dies aged 32 in Bali hospital
OLYMPIC swimming legend Ian Thorpe's ex-boyfriend Ryan Channing has died aged 32 in Bali.
Channing, a model, lawyer and skincare brand creator from Perth, Australia, was rushed to a local hospital on Sunday, where he later died.
Younger brother Jake confirmed in an emotional tribute on Wednesday that the family will "seek answers".
He said: "Seeing as the news headlines beat my whole family to posting about this unfortunate time in our lives, it’s with a heavy heart I announce that my brother Ryan has recently passed away on Sunday the 8th of May at 32 years of age.
"As we seek answers and try come to terms with the heartbreaking loss of my beautiful big brother, we ask for your prayers, support and privacy, he will be forever loved, never forgotten and forever young.
"To my big brother, I love you, I’ll see you one day soon you’ll be missed more than you know."
READ MORE ON SPORT
Channing was Thorpe's first long-term boyfriend after the Olympic champion came out as gay.
The pair were in an on-and-off relationship for four years before splitting for good in 2019.
A representative of Thorpe has said his thoughts are with Channing's family at this tough time.
Channing was running his own skincare company called The Blaq Group.
Most read in Sport
And last July, he revealed he was filming the pilot for a new reality Netflix show called The Skintrepreneurs.
The show would follow his business activities.
Channing also spent time living and working in various cities around the world such as New York, Paris and Milan, before going to university to study commerce, marketing, intellectual property and international Law.
After finishing his degree, Channing worked in intellectual property law.