‘A shining light’: Cathriona White’s family speak out after her death

The heartbroken family of Cathriona White have made an official statement about her death.

Make-up artist Cathriona, a Tipperary native, was found dead at her rented home in Los Angeles on Monday night, with a drug overdose believed to be the cause of her death. 

It's reported she left a suicide note behind for her on-off boyfriend, actor Jim Carrey.

In a touching tribute released last night, the White family mourned the passing of the 28-year-old.

"The family of Cathriona White sincerely regret the untimely passing of their beloved daughter and sister," they said in a statement to the Irish Independent. 

"Cathriona was a shining light in our lives who was loved deeply by her entire family. 

"We will miss her terribly and at this difficult time we ask to be left in private to mourn our loss."

Cathriona was raised in the small village of Cappawhite but moved to the US in 2009, aged just 22, to pursue a career in beauty.

Her career progressed over the next few years as she worked on films such as Firefly and The Online Gamer, meeting Jim Carrey in mid-2012.

Cathriona's father Pat passed away from cancer in late 2012, but she was unable to come home to Ireland for his funeral, the Irish Times states.

Over the last two years, Cathriona and Jim's relationship went through a number of rocky patches. Of late they were reported to have ended things again, though Jim made reference to her in a number of Twitter posts throughout early September.

Your true self is unfathomably immense, and I mean that as a compliment. ;^P (photo by Cathriona White) pic.twitter.com/uRHUYWE7VL

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) September 1, 2015

In his own statement last night, the Truman Show actor paid tribute to an "Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil."

A post-mortem into Cathriona's death is expected to take place today.