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Imani Dia Smith cause of death update: How did Lion King actor die? First details out
Imani Dia Smith, famous for her role in The Lion King, has died. She was 25. As per authorities, Smith was found with stab wounds
Imani Dia Smith, famous for her role in The Lion King, has died. She was 25. As per authorities, Smith was found with stab wounds at a home in Edison, New Jersey, on Sunday after a stabbing was reported on 911. Prosecutors said she was pronounced dead after being transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Imani Dia Smith cause of death and other details
While no official cause of death has been announced yet, it was revealed that Smith was stabbed. Her boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, was arrested and accused of murder, according to Middlesex County, New Jersey, prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Department chief Thomas Bryan.
He was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, prosecutors said.
"She leaves behind a 3-year-old son, her parents, her two younger siblings, and an extended family, friends, and community who loved her so very much," Smith's aunt Kira Helper wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser.
"Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was a vivacious, loving and fiercely talented person. A true triple-threat performer, she most notably played the role of Young Nala on Broadway in Disney’s Lion King — an experience that reflected the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world," the GoFundMe page reads.
“This GoFundMe is being organized to support Imani’s parents, Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, who are now facing the unimaginable: grieving their daughter while stepping in to raise her young son and support their two other children during this traumatic time.”
“In addition to their grief, Monique and Rawni are trying to hold their family together — comforting their children, navigating the sudden responsibility to raise their grandson, and finding a way forward while their world has been shattered. Monique works as a Broadway and TV/film hairdresser, and like so many in the freelance and artistic fields, time away from work means lost income during an already devastating period.”
