Playboy model Katie May died after chiropractor 'tore open artery while manipulating' neck injury she incurred on photoshoot

The death of a popular Playboy model was brought on by a 'neck manipulation by chiropractor' after she suffered an injury during a photo shoot.

Katie May fell during a shoot in Los Angeles earlier this year and was later taken to the hospital for neck pain but released later that day.

The 34-year-old, whose popularity earned her the title 'Queen of Snapchat' from Playboy, was still in pain when she posted this message to her Twitter: 'Pinched a nerve in my neck on a Photoshoot and got adjusted this morning. It really hurts! Any home remedy suggestions loves? XOXO.'

It seems that the trip to her chiropractor to fix things only made it worse though according to TMZ, and ultimately led to her death after a tear to an artery in her neck stopped the flow of blood to her brain. 

The single mom left behind a seven-year-old daughter Mia.

Her death has been ruled an accident, and it is not known if her family plans to pursue legal action against the chiropractor.

Moment: May tweeted that she had gone to the chiropractor to get her neck 'adjusted' and was still in pain shortly before going to the hospital

Sad: May left behind a young daughter Mia (above), 7, and a GoFundMe page has raised over $36,000 for the girl

A GoFundMe campaign was launched at the time to raise money for May's daughter.

The fundraising page, which has drawn more than $36,000 in donations, reads: 'Katie's family plans on using any money raised to help pay for education, Mia’s daily life and to help her dad with the costs of parenting.'

The bombshell blonde, whose photos have appeared in such publications as Playboy Magazine and Sports Illustrated, had a massive fan base, with close to 2million followers on Instagram alone.

In her final Instagram message, which was posted just days before her death, she wrote: 'Hope everyone is having a great Monday! It's very windy here today.'

The post was accompanied by a photo of the statuesque model posing in a cheeky bathing suit in Laguna Beach, California. It has drawn more than 41,000 'likes' as of Thursday.