Jade Goody Has Passed Away

Jade Goody, the British reality TV star who shot to fame in 2002 after appearing on the UK version of Big Brother, has lost her battle against cancer and has died at the age of 27.

She passed away in her sleep early Sunday, Mother’s Day in the U.K.

Her publicist and friend, Max Clifford, confirmed the news to PEOPLE saying:

“She had been pretty much asleep for the last 24 hours,” he says, adding she died “just before 4 o’clock this morning.”

Clifford added that her husband Jack Tweed, who she married in a ceremony filmed by a British TV channel in February, and mother Jackiey Budden were at her bedside.

Clifford says after she passed Budden told him:

“My beautiful daughter has gone to sleep, has gone,” when they spoke soon afterwards.

And added, “Jackiey is obviously as you would expect a mom to be at the loss of her daughter. We’ve all known it was coming but she’s devastated.”

She has two sons Bobby, 5, and Freddy, 4.

Our hearts are with her family and friends during this sad and difficult time.

photo: Wenn.com