A popular hairstylist and beloved fixture of Chicago’s beauty scene died Saturday after falling from a yacht into Lake Michigan — marking a second devastating loss for one grieving mother, who says her daughter never fully recovered from the death of her best friend seven years ago.
Zahrie Walls, 27, known professionally as “Z Money,” was pulled from the water near Navy Pier around 5:30 p.m. and rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Hours earlier, Walls had posted video of herself in a bikini, smiling and relaxing aboard the yacht during the annual “Black Yacht Weekend” event, according to reports on social media.
Chicago police said they are investigating the drowning but declined to provide further details.
Video from the flotilla shows Walls lounging on the bow of the vessel as it moved out to sea. Nothing seemed off, and footage showed Walls happy and grooving to the beat of music. However, she was not strapped in and did not have on a life vest. Behind her, a crowd packed the seating area on the rear deck. Minutes later, photos and video showed the vessel taking on water from the stern and sinking. By this time, Walls no longer appeared on the front of the boat amid the scramble by other boats to rescue the occupants.
By the time her body surfaced, search crews had already shifted from rescue to recovery mode.
Event organizers stated Sunday that the incident “has not been officially linked to any of our attendees” and did not take place within the designated event area.
Still, they reminded participants to “wear life jackets, stay hydrated, monitor weather and wind conditions, and avoid overcrowding on vessels.”
Authorities have not said whether the boat Walls was on had too many people on board, but video clearly shows the back of the boat fully submerged.
Walls’ mother, Kizzy Wells, told the Chicago Tribune she’s still trying to understand how her daughter — who rarely partied and was devoted to her career — ended up overboard.
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Wells said, 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.”
Walls was best known as the owner of Z Style Suites and had a loyal social media following under the handle @zahriethestylist, where she described herself as a beautician to the rich and famous. She lived in a condo in Chicago’s Medical District, traveled frequently for work, and began styling hair at age 14 while growing up on the West Side.
“She just always had that magic hand,” her mother recalled. “Once I saw how she had been doing hair at the age of 14, that’s when I started buying all the tools that she needed.”
Friends and family gathered at the hospital Saturday, hoping for a miracle. “We were all unsure what happened. I know they tried their best to save her. … We knew it was her in the water, but no one knew if she survived,” Wells said. “But, I just knew, I felt it. A mother knows.”
As the sun set on Sunday, loved ones planned a balloon release in Walls’ honor. Her funeral arrangements will be handled by her godfather, who owns the Brian P. Pickett Funeral Group.
“She loved her friends and family. She loved her mama. She loved her baby sister, Tia. And she was just so humble. She loved making people happy with her creativeness,” Wells said.
Walls’ death comes nearly seven years after another heartbreaking tragedy: Her best friend, 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins, died under mysterious circumstances after attending a party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont in 2017. The two had gone to Collins Academy High School together, where their bond was forged as teenagers—Walls often practiced new hairstyles on Jenkins.
“Kenneka was her person to try different hairstyles on when she was just learning,” Wells said. “She never healed [from her death]. She has her name tattooed on her upper shoulder.”
Jenkins’ death made national headlines after her body was discovered in a hotel freezer nearly 24 hours after her family first reported her missing. Surveillance footage showed Jenkins, visibly disoriented, wandering alone through the hotel’s hallways and kitchen after her friends left her in the lobby. The case sparked widespread speculation and protest, as many questioned why security footage wasn’t monitored in real time and why hotel staff didn’t respond sooner.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in 2018 alleged the hotel, its security firm, and a restaurant tenant were negligent. It claimed Jenkins’ life could have been saved had hotel staff reviewed security footage promptly.
The lawsuit settled last August for $10 million — far less than the $50 million initially sought by Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin. A breakdown of the settlement, unsealed in court records in December 2023, shows Martin received over $3.7 million, while Jenkins’ half-sister received $1.5 million and her brother $1.2 million. Roughly $3.5 million was used for attorney fees, and $6,000 reimbursed funeral costs for the 2017 homegoing service, which drew more than 1,000 mourners.
Martin had attempted to keep the settlement details sealed, citing family safety concerns. But the court ultimately made the figures public.
On Sunday, Martin shared a poignant video tribute, mourning the loss of Wells’ daughter and reflecting on two young lives taken too soon.
“My heart goes out to you for what happened to your baby,” she said through tears. “It breaks my heart.”
Across social media, tributes to Zahrie Walls poured in, while the city grappled with a wave of water-related emergencies over the weekend. At least a dozen water rescues were reported along the lakefront and nearby suburbs over the weekend as temperatures soared. Experts say strong south winds created dangerous conditions on the lake.
“With the first good weekend of the summer, it’s a free-for-all,” said Dave Benjamin, co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. “It’s like New Year’s Eve and amateur hour. Everyone’s coming out. Everyone wants to have a good time.”
