
Former Broadway actress Imani Dia Smith has died at the age of 25, according to MassLive.
Smith, who starred in the Broadway production of “The Lion King” as young Nala, was found with multiple stab wounds at a home in Edison, New Jersey and taken to a hospital where she died, according to a statement from the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office.
Police arrested Jordan Jackson-Small in connection with Smith’s death, according to the statement. Smith’s family said Jackson-Small was her boyfriend at the time.
“It is with a tragic and heavy heart that we share the loss of my niece, Imani Dia Smith, who was senselessly killed by her boyfriend on the morning of Sunday, December 21st, just ahead of Christmas,” reads a GoFundMe set up by Smith’s family. The campaign has raised more than $67,500 as of Dec. 26.
Jackson-Small 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, according to the statement.
“Imani had her whole life ahead of her,” Smith’s GoFundMe reads. “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.”
Smith leaves behind a 3-year-old son.
The Edison Police Department is encouraging anyone with information about Smith’s death to call them at 732-718-8064 or the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-8083.