New York: The 11-year-old Shannon Tavarez, who played the character of young Nala in one of Disney`s most popular production `Lion King`, has died from leukemia.
Shannon gave voice to the lioness cub in the popular Broadway show in New York.
Tavarez waged a six month long battle against the disease but could not be saved even after getting a cord-blood transplant in August, a news channel reported.
"Shannon`s strength and her happy, positive spirit will live on in our hearts and minds each day. Shannon`s dream was to perform on stage, and that she did," said her mother, Odiney Brown in a statement.
More than 8000 people and artists including rapper 50 Cent volunteered to be bone marrow donors but no match could be found.
"It`s a great feeling, performing for people and being Young Nala, because she`s tough and I feel like that`s who I am through this whole experience," Shannon had said last summer as she was going through chemotherapy.
The fact that Shannon, who had no siblings, was part African-American and part Hispanic made it harder to find a bone marrow transplant as out of the 7 million Americans listed as potential donors, only 12 percent are minorities.
Shannon was 5-years-old when her mother realized she could sing. "She sang an Alicia Keys song, `I Keep on Falling,` and when she sang it, it was just unbelievable!" said her mother, Odiney Brown.
Reacting to Shannon`s death, R&B superstar Rihanna said, "Just got off of a plane ride and got horrible news that our little star Shannon Taverez has lost her battle against leukemia! Way too soon...keep her family in your prayers."
The Broadway theater where the show is playing dimmed its lights last night to honour the memory of Shannon.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.