Zahrie Walls, a 27-year-old celebrity hairstylist beloved by clients and known for her hard work and creative touch, has been identified as the woman whose body was recovered Saturday, June 21, from Lake Michigan near Navy Pier.
The Chicago native was discovered in the water off East Grand Avenue around 5:30 p.m., and transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities confirmed.
According to her mother, Kizzy Wells, Zahrie had joined friends for a spontaneous boating trip on the lake — a rare break for the stylist who frequently traveled for work and was known to take on 10 to 12 appointments daily.
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Wells told the Chicago Tribune. “She was on a boat and allegedly fell off due to the current… My baby works so hard.”
The cause and circumstances surrounding Walls’ death remain under investigation by the Chicago Police Department. Fire officials confirmed the incident was one of more than two dozen water-related emergencies in the area over the weekend, including two other likely drownings.
Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jason Lach urged the public to recognize the dangers of summer boating, stressing the importance of life jackets and swimming within lifeguard-protected areas.
Wells shared the heartbreak of receiving the devastating news after a friend of her daughter’s called her Saturday afternoon. “We were all unsure what happened,” she said. “We knew it was her in the water, but no one knew if she survived… but I just knew. A mother knows.”
Remembering Zahrie Walls: Artist, Entrepreneur, Beloved Sister
Walls, who grew up on Chicago’s West Side and graduated from Collins Academy High School, began doing hair at the age of 14. She later founded Z Style Suites and built a reputation as a sought-after stylist under her popular social media moniker, @zahriethestylist. Her clientele included celebrities, and her signature styles inspired thousands of followers.
“She just always had that magic hand,” her mother said, noting that she supported her daughter’s passion by buying professional tools early on. “She loved making people happy with her creativeness.”
Walls lived in Chicago’s Medical District and was deeply devoted to her younger sister, Tia, and her late best friend Kenneka Jenkins — the 19-year-old who made headlines in 2017 after being found dead in a Rosemont hotel freezer. The two were inseparable, and Wells said Zahrie never fully healed from that loss, keeping Kenneka’s memory alive with a shoulder tattoo.
Outpouring of Grief and Calls for Safety
Family and friends gathered Sunday evening for a balloon release in Walls’ memory. Funeral arrangements are being handled by her godfather, owner of Brian P. Pickett Funeral Group.
The organization Black Yacht Weekend, which hosted events on Lake Michigan over the weekend, expressed condolences in a statement, noting the incident involving Walls “has not been officially linked to any of our attendees.” Organizers urged participants to take safety precautions, including the use of life vests and weather monitoring.
Meanwhile, lake safety advocates like Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project are sounding the alarm.
“With the first good weekend of the summer, it’s a free-for-all,” Benjamin told reporters. “It’s like New Year’s Eve and amateur hour… Everyone wants to have a good time.”
