Inside the secret high-flying world of Paris Ow-Yang’s ex after the Navy SEAL quit the military to protect the super rich before he died suddenly aged just 31
Rocket Stickney, the former boyfriend of swimwear model Paris Ow-Yang, has died suddenly aged 31, shortly after leaving an elite career in the US Navy SEALs to work in high-end private security. Stickney spent six years with Navy SEAL Team 5 before leaving the military in 2025 to join Gideon Risk Management, a firm providing protection services to celebrities and the ultra-wealthy, where he was set to lead executive protection operations.
Gideon Risk Management operates in 32 countries with headquarters in California, London and Florida, recruiting exclusively from special forces units such as Britain's SAS and Royal Marines and the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Stickney, from Sun Valley, Idaho, also sat on the board of a veterans' mental health charity, and had recently been photographed with celebrities including Post Malone. His family described his death as a "devastating loss" in a notice published in his hometown newspaper, with a celebration of life being planned.
- Ex-Navy SEAL Rocket Stickney dies suddenly aged 31
- He had just joined an elite celebrity/VIP protection firm
- Was previously linked to swimwear model Paris Ow-Yang
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Rocket Stickney was a former US Navy SEAL who spent six years with an elite SEAL Team before leaving the military in 2025 to work in private security for wealthy and famous clients. He had recently joined Gideon Risk Management, a firm that protects celebrities and the super-rich and recruits its staff from special forces units in the US and UK. He was also known as the former boyfriend of swimwear model Paris Ow-Yang.
The private security industry Stickney entered is a relatively low-profile world in which former special forces personnel are hired to guard high-net-worth individuals and public figures, often operating discreetly rather than in public view. Firms such as Gideon Risk Management work internationally and draw specifically on the training and experience of elite military units, which is seen as a mark of trust for wealthy clients seeking protection.
Stickney's sudden death at the age of 31 has drawn attention both because of his unusual career shift from military service to this secretive private sector, and because of his past relationship with a public figure. He was also involved in charitable work supporting veterans' mental health, and had been photographed with well-known figures in the months before his death.