Former Miss USA, NC lawyer Cheslie Kryst suffered from depression, her mother says
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Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst: 1991-2022
Cheslie Kryst, the Charlotte lawyer with deep ties to the Carolinas and later became the 2019 Miss USA, died by suicide in January 2022.
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Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst was privately suffering from “high-functioning depression” before her death Sunday, according to her mother.
Kryst, 30, won the Miss USA pageant in 2019. She was already an accomplished lawyer in Charlotte who helped free incarcerated individuals.
“While her life on this earth was short, it was filled with many beautiful memories,” April Simpkins said in a statement released by Kryst’s publicist, the LEPR Agency. “We miss her laugh, her words of wisdom, her sense of humor and mostly her hugs.”
Kryst hid her depression from family and friends, and Simpkins learned about it shortly before her daughter’s death by suicide at her New York apartment building, according to the statement.
“While it may be hard to believe, it’s true. Cheslie led both a public and a private life,” Simpkins said. “She was a vital part of our family which makes this loss even more devastating.”
They would talk on FaceTime or text one another “all day, every day,” said Simpkins, who was Mrs. North Carolina USA in 2002 — the second Black woman to hold that title.
“Cheslie – to the world, you were a ball of sunshine wrapped in smiles,” Simpkins said. “You were more than a daughter – you were my very best friend. Talking with you was one of the best parts of my day. Your smile and laugh were infectious.”
Kryst’s grandfather, Gary Simpkins, told the New York Daily News that his granddaughter was a “fantastic person” and “a light that shined so brightly.”
“To be extinguished so fast is just devastating,” he told the Daily News by phone from South Carolina. “She was kind. She was generous. She felt for other people. She tried to help other people. She was just one of those rare people that had a heart for people.”
Kryst went to high school in South Carolina, first at Northwestern in Rock Hill, then at Fort Mill High. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and a law degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Instead of flowers, April Simpkins asks that donations be made to Dress for Success, a global nonprofit organization where Kryst served as an Impact Ambassador.
“I love you baby girl with all my heart. I miss you desperately,” Simpkins said. “I know one day we’ll be together again. Until then, rest easy and in peace.“
Crisis prevention resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
National Alliance on Mental Illness: Text 741741
Mecklenburg County: NAMI Charlotte, 704-566-3410, select option 1
Wake County: HopeLine 919-231-4525 or 877-235-4525
South Carolina: Department of Mental Health, Mobile Crisis Team, 833-364-2274
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Former Miss USA, NC lawyer Cheslie Kryst suffered from depression, her mother says."
