Sariah Saibu dead: Young actress and model who starred in award-winning film dies ‘suddenly’ in Australia

YOUNG actress and model Sariah Saibu has tragically passed away in Australia.

The actress who starred in the  2021 award-winning short film Beautiful They, died on January 30.

The tragic news of her death was confirmed by her aunt Cassandra Colvin who paid tribute to her niece on a social media post.

It read: "This morning we lost our darling Sariah.

"I am struggling to find the words to express the grief that I and her family are feeling at this time.

"RIP beautiful - all our love always."

A page that has been set up to raise funds for Sariah's funeral has described her as "the Queen, the Karaoke King, the Star, and the Icon".

The tribute added: "The Princess of not only Perth, but Darwin. The protaganist of our lives and gem of our hearts.

"Sariah made everlasting impressions on her community, which has been felt and greatly appreciated by her family and closest friends."

Friends and family have paid tribute to the "beautiful soul" with one saying: "I only met Sariah once in Darwin. Her kindness and bubbly nature had stuck with me ever since.

"A tragic loss, my condolences to her family and friends. May she rest in peace."

Another one said: "Lots of love to Sariah’s nearest and dearest. "A hilarious, sparkly, one-of-a-kind little demon. We’ll all miss her so much."

The actress is known for the role of Violet in Beautiful They which was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and the Melbourne International Film Festival.

The film is described as a "tender, visually-charged, uplifting queer surf-romance about the nuance of gender."

It won the Australian Director’s Guild’s Best Direction of a Short Film award and was nominated for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts’s (AACTA) Best Short Form Drama award.

Sariah also worked as a model and a backup dancer in music videos including San Cisco's SloMo and Catlips Silver Smoke.