Tragedy Strikes: 18-Year-Old Dancer Dies Hours After Hospital Discharge
Tragically, an 18-year-old dancer passed away a few hours after being released from the hospital.
Australian Layla-Maria Grubb was found unconscious at home on Saturday, July 19, just after her family told the Daily Telegraph that she had been discharged from the hospital after a suspected seizure.
“We all want to know what happened. We are searching for answers,” Grubb’s mother, Beth Ashton, told the outlet.
According to the Daily Mail, Grubb received her training at the esteemed Village Nation dance company, where director Briden Starr recalled her as a “healthy, positive, focused girl.”
Before moving to Sydney in 2023 to follow her aspirations, the late teen had also danced with the JLC Dance Company in Western Australia.
“Layla was on a trajectory to stardom and had immense potential,” the JLC Dance Company shared in a Facebook tribute. “Layla was an amazing student, and friend, with a great personality and huge smile that lit up any room.”
The group added, “Layla was an amazing friend to a lot of our staff and students and this devastating news has affected the entire JLC family and everyone that knew Layla for no matter how long, or short.”
Her friends have started a GoFundMe account, stating that they want to celebrate Layla’s “incredible love and joy” and “give her the send-off she truly deserves.”
“Layla was pure light – an amazing dancer with an infectious laugh!” the tribute read. “The funniest, goofiest, most vibrant girl you could ever meet, lighting up every room with her laughter and fun.”
In her moving tribute post, her distraught mother also described her daughter as a dazzling presence who brought beauty to the stage and to life. She wrote, “Our baby girl left us far too soon.”
“Layla-Maria brought so much joy, light, and love into the lives of everyone who knew her. A gorgeous dancer, who moved through life with the same beauty and passion she brought to the stage,” Ashton continued. “Her laughter, kindness, and beautiful spirit will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”
“Though her time with us was far too short, her impact will remain in our hearts, forever 18,” she added. “We kindly ask for your thoughts and prayers for our family during this incredibly difficult time.”
Her death is being investigated, according to police, and the coroner of New South Wales has been notified.
“Due to the early stage of the matter, we cannot provide further detail at this time,” a police spokesperson told PEOPLE.
Grubb will have a funeral service on Friday, August 1 in Sydney.