Broadway's Shannon Tavarez dead at 11
Published: Nov. 2, 2010 at 7:44 PM
ListenNEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Shannon Tavarez, a child actress who performed on Broadway in "The Lion King," has died of acute myeloid leukemia. She was 11.
BroadwayWorld.com reported the youngster's death Tuesday.
The resident of New York's Queens borough played Young Nala in the blockbuster show for seven months before she was diagnosed with the disease last spring.
She underwent chemotherapy and received an umbilical-cord transplant in late August in an effort to combat the disease because doctors were unable to find a bone-marrow match for her. She had lately been hospitalized while doctors worked to stabilize her, Broadway World.com said.
"Shannon's strength and her happy, positive spirit will live on in our hearts and minds each day," Odiney Brown, Tavarez's mother, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Shannon's dream was to perform on stage, and that she did," the statement continued. "We are grateful for the ongoing support from her 'Lion King' family and the Broadway community. Shannon wanted to recruit people everywhere to 'get swabbed' and help save the lives of those in need of a bone-marrow transplant. In her memory, our family and friends will work tirelessly to carry out her wish through MatchShannon.com. It is our hope that Shannon's legacy will continue to inspire other brave children battling leukemia. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers."
Representatives for "The Lion King" said the marquee lights at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre, the show's home, were dimmed in her memory Tuesday night.
=================================================
BroadwayWorld.com reported the youngster's death Tuesday.
The resident of New York's Queens borough played Young Nala in the blockbuster show for seven months before she was diagnosed with the disease last spring.
She underwent chemotherapy and received an umbilical-cord transplant in late August in an effort to combat the disease because doctors were unable to find a bone-marrow match for her. She had lately been hospitalized while doctors worked to stabilize her, Broadway World.com said.
"Shannon's strength and her happy, positive spirit will live on in our hearts and minds each day," Odiney Brown, Tavarez's mother, said in a statement Tuesday.
"Shannon's dream was to perform on stage, and that she did," the statement continued. "We are grateful for the ongoing support from her 'Lion King' family and the Broadway community. Shannon wanted to recruit people everywhere to 'get swabbed' and help save the lives of those in need of a bone-marrow transplant. In her memory, our family and friends will work tirelessly to carry out her wish through MatchShannon.com. It is our hope that Shannon's legacy will continue to inspire other brave children battling leukemia. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers."
Representatives for "The Lion King" said the marquee lights at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre, the show's home, were dimmed in her memory Tuesday night.
=================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment