A TikTok creator known for her volunteer work on Skid Row in Los Angeles has died at 58.
Shirley Raines, known on social media as “Miss Shirley,” was remembered in a statement by her non-profit organization, Beauty 2 the Streetz, shared Wednesday on Facebook. Her cause of death has not been disclosed.
“It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that Beauty 2 The Streetz announces the passing of our beloved CEO and founder, Shirley Raines, affectionately known to so many as Ms. Shirley,” the statement shared.
“Ms. Shirley dedicated her life to serving others and made an immeasurable impact on homeless communities throughout Los Angeles and Nevada. Through her tireless advocacy, deep compassion, and unwavering commitment, she used her powerful media platform to amplify the voices of those in need and to bring dignity, resources, and hope to some of the most underserved populations.”
The organization went on to say that Raines changed countless lives with her “love, generosity, and selfless service” over the past six years, adding: “Her legacy will continue to live on through the work she started and the hearts she touched.”
Raines gained a following of over five million people on TikTok through her heartwarming posts and livestreams. She provided hair, makeup, food, and clothes to thousands of people in homeless communities across Los Angeles and Las Vegas. She was known for her efforts to bring dignity and self-worth to people who are struggling, often complimenting the people she served and greeting them as “kings” and “queens.”
In 2021, the entrepreneur was named the CNN Hero of the Year and given $100,000 to expand her work through her non-profit. She said at the time that she had been inspired to start her charity work when she visited Skid Row, a notoriously impoverished area in downtown Los Angeles, on a 2017 church trip.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, this is where all the broken people are? Oh, I’ve been looking for y’all all my life,” she told CNN of Skid Row at the time. “I never wanted to leave. It’s a place where people have amazing hearts, but nobody can see it because they can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Raines is preceded in death by her two-year-old son, Demetrius, who died in 1990. She spoke openly about the grief, depression, and financial insecurity that came in the years after her loss. Raines credited her work with the community as a “purpose for her pain.”
