Former The Lion King Broadway child actress Imani Dia Smith has died at the age of 25 following a stabbing incident at a home in Edison, New Jersey.
Imani, who appeared as Young Nala in the long-running Disney Broadway production between 2011 and 2012, was found with stab wounds after authorities responded to an emergency call on Sunday. She was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, investigators are still working to determine what led to the stabbing and have not disclosed whether anyone else was present at the time of the incident.
On Tuesday, police arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and multiple weapons-related offences. Prosecutors described him only as someone known to Imani. As of the latest update, it remains unclear whether he has legal representation.
Imani Dia Smith began her acting career at a young age and gained recognition on Broadway for her role in The Lion King, a milestone that placed her among a select group of child performers to grace one of theatre’s biggest stages.
