Celebrity hairstylist Zahrie Walls, known professionally as “Z Money,” died tragically on Saturday, June 21, after falling from a boat into Lake Michigan near Chicago’s Navy Pier. The 27-year-old West Side native was recovered from the water around 5:30 p.m. She was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. According to her mother, Kizzy Wells, Walls joined friends for a spontaneous boating trip during what turned out to be a deadly weekend on Lake Michigan.
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Wells told the Chicago Tribune, fighting back tears. “She was on a boat and allegedly fell off due to the current. She doesn’t go out much because she works all the time, traveling to different cities. My baby works so hard. She was doing 10 to 12 hair appointments a day.”
The incident occurred during Black Yacht Weekend. However, organizers stated it didn’t take place within their event area and “has not been officially linked to any of our attendees.” The hot weather of the first summer weekend brought thousands to Lake Michigan, creating hazardous conditions that resulted in multiple water emergencies.
Dangerous Weekend On Lake Michigan
Walls’ death was one of multiple water-related incidents during the first hot weekend of summer. Chicago Fire Department’s Jason Lach reported that rescue teams responded to nearly two dozen water emergencies, including at least two other likely drownings. A boat operator went missing at 63rd Street Beach, and another man died after falling into the water near Navy Pier on Saturday night.
Boat safety experts attribute the spike in accidents to inexperienced boaters and hazardous weather conditions. “What a lot of people don’t realize is, Lake Michigan acts as an ocean. You have to treat it as an ocean,” warned Boat Safe Chicago Captain Brady Ruel. “With high winds, anchors are coming off the ground. If you’re not setting the anchor properly, you’re going to slide into another boat.”
A vigil was held Sunday night on Chicago’s West Side to honor Walls. Friends and family gathered to release balloons in her memory. Described by her mother as humble and loving, Walls lived in Chicago’s Medical District and frequently traveled for her work.
