Virginia Giuffre. Photo:Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty

Virginia Giuffre, the woman who has accused the late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein and Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, has died by suicide, her family said in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE.

Giuffre died on Thursday, April 24, in Neergabby, Australia, her residence of the past several years, her family said.

“Giuffre lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” her family said. “Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors. Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure. The light of her life were her children Christian, Noah, and Emily.”

“It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realized she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,” the statement continued. “There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia. She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit. In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight. We know that she is with the angels.”

“Virginia was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims,” attorney Sigrid McCawley said. “Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring. The world has lost an amazing human being today. Rest in peace, my sweet angel.”

Giuffre has been outspoken about the abuse she experienced in the past. In 2000, Giuffre was 16 years old when she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to work for Epstein.

Giuffre has said the pair groomed her and forced her to have sex with Epstein and others as part of an elaborate sex ring, from which she escaped in 2002. Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while in a New York City jail awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges.

Giuffre has also said that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her to rich and powerful men, including Prince Andrew, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. (Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison after being convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 in connection with Epstein, but not Prince Andrew.)

“My soul yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that. I will remember this day always,” Giuffre spoke out on X following Maxwell’s verdict. “Having lived with the horrors of Maxwell’s abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed.”

(She was not included in the trial against Maxwell.)

Virginia Giuffre; Ghislaine Maxwell. Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images

Giuffre continued, “I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be.”

In 2021, Giuffre claimed in a lawsuit filed against Prince Andrew in New York that the royal forced her to have sex with him three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein.

In a previous statement shared with PEOPLE, Giuffre said, “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice.”

The two reached an out-of-court settlement in February 2022. The amount was not disclosed. 

Prince Andrew; Jeffrey Epstein. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty

In a 2019 Panorama interview, Giuffre said that when she was brought to London by Epstein in 2001 as a teenager, she was introduced to Prince Andrew and — along with Epstein and Maxwell — was taken to Tramp night club, where she said the royal got her a drink and asked her to dance in a VIP section.

“[Prince Andrew] is the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean it was horrible, and this guy was sweating all over me, like his sweat was like it was raining basically everywhere. I was just grossed out from it, but I knew I had to keep him happy because that’s what Jeffrey and Ghislaine would have expected from me.”

Prince Andrew defended himself in a 2019 BBC interview, in which he addressed his relationship with Epstein and Giuffre’s allegations, “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever. It just never happened.”

He also refuted Giuffre’s allegations by saying that he wouldn’t have known where the bar was to get her a drink and that he had a condition that meant he didn’t sweat.

The prince also suggested that a photograph of him and Giuffre, with his arm around her waist, was doctored. But Giuffre told the BBC that the photo is genuine and she gave the original to the FBI in 2011.

Following the interview’s backlash, Prince Andrew announced that he would be “stepping back” from public duties.

Giuffre has since founded Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), a non-profit organization which provides support for survivors of sexual assault.

In remembering her, Giuffre’s rep, Dini von Mueffling, added, “Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honor to know. Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims. She adored her children and many animals. She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”

Call me if you want to be like her.