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Strength and Beauty. That was the title, both apt and prophetic, of Ashley Mattingly’s March 2011 Playmate pictorial. The opening spread shows her kickboxing, doing an impressive leg press (with pink barbell weights, no less) and facing the camera, chin up, mouth set, eyes confronting the viewer with quiet confidence—and a hint of fierceness.
Last week, the world lost Ashley. Members of her family told People that “our dear sister with a larger-than-life personality took her own life.” Ashley had been open about her struggles with addiction and the trauma of abuse on her Instagram account, which also includes images of the radiant Texan on horseback, on a yacht and feeding a golden retriever puppy she adopted last year. It’s clear that the joie de vivre she expressed in her pictorial—“I’m really good at having fun!”—glowed from within even as she fought her demons.
“She was adventurous. She was blunt. She was a rebel with a big heart,” says Carrie Stevens, our June 1997 Playmate and a close friend of Ashley’s.
Born in Dallas on September 10, 1986, Ashley was a shy kid who came out of her shell when she discovered track and cross-country running in high school. She moved to Los Angeles four years before we published her pictorial and immediately took to the city’s glamorous side. “I adore slipping on a Versace dress and a pair of Jimmy Choos and going to dinner at Madeo, which is so much fun and such a scene,” she told us. “The paparazzi are always out front!”
There was no missing Ashley around southern California’s dining establishments—especially when she brought a certain friend along. “Ashley used to have a Persian cat that she took everywhere with her,” Carrie tells Playboy. “She even brought the cat to restaurants.”
Ashley’s mischievous spirit shines through in one of Carrie’s favorite memories of their friendship. “I was spending a weekend with Ashley when she lived in Laguna Beach,” she says. “She had these neighbors—three guys that lived in the apartment next to hers. She told me they never locked their door so we went in and the place was a pig sty. We pranked them by making all their beds and cleaning while they were out. We were laughing so hard—then one of them came home and we hid in the other room giggling until he busted us. We had silly fun together.”
On her Data Sheet, Ashley voiced her idea of sexy: “A woman who holds herself well, is impeccably classy and is not judgmental of others.” In hindsight, the line could double as a description of Ashley herself.
We send our very best to the Mattingly family. Ashley, strong and beautiful, will live on in our pages and in our hearts.
If you have struggled with addiction, survived abuse or thought about taking your life, we urge you to consider using the following resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-TALK (8255), suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Crisis Text Line: text STRENGTH to 741-741
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233, thehotline.org
- SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration) National Helpline: 800-662-HELP (4357)