Former The Lion King Child Actress Imani Dia Smith Dies at 25

Imani Dia Smith, a former Broadway child actress who starred in The Lion King, has died. She was 25.

Smith was found with stab wounds in a residence in Edison, N.J. on Sunday, Dec. 21 after someone reported a stabbing in a 911 call. According to a press release issued on Dec. 23 by prosecutors, Smith was pronounced dead after she was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Her boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, was arrested and accused of murder on Dec. 23, 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 she set up on behalf of the family.

She wrote that funds raised via GoFundMe will go toward funeral and memorial expenses, crime scene cleanup at Smith’s home, trauma therapy for her family, legal and administrative costs related to the criminal proceedings in her death and care for Smith’s son and dog.

“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. According to Playbill, Smith appeared in The Lion King between 2011 and 2012.

The GoFundMe page noted that Smith’s mother Monique works as a hairdresser for Broadway and television and film productions. Monique’s IMDb page shows she has worked on more than 25 movies and television shows as a hairstylist since 2010, including this year’s The Housemaid and 2022’s Smile.

As of Wednesday, Dec. 24, the GoFundMe page set up in Smith’s name has raised more than $46,000 from 609 donations and is aiming to raise $55,000 for her family.

“Our hope is that these funds will give Imani’s parents the ability to focus on what matters most: grieving their daughter, caring for their grandson, and helping their children begin to heal — without the added fear of financial instability,” the page reads.

Imani Dia Smith, a former Broadway child actress who starred in The Lion King, has died. She was 25.

Smith was found with stab wounds in a residence in Edison, N.J. on Sunday, Dec. 21 after someone reported a stabbing in a 911 call. According to a press release issued on Dec. 23 by prosecutors, Smith was pronounced dead after she was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Her boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, was arrested and accused of murder on Dec. 23, 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 she set up on behalf of the family.

She wrote that funds raised via GoFundMe will go toward funeral and memorial expenses, crime scene cleanup at Smith’s home, trauma therapy for her family, legal and administrative costs related to the criminal proceedings in her death and care for Smith’s son and dog.

“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. According to Playbill, Smith appeared in The Lion King between 2011 and 2012.

The GoFundMe page noted that Smith’s mother Monique works as a hairdresser for Broadway and television and film productions. Monique’s IMDb page shows she has worked on more than 25 movies and television shows as a hairstylist since 2010, including this year’s The Housemaid and 2022’s Smile.

As of Wednesday, Dec. 24, the GoFundMe page set up in Smith’s name has raised more than $46,000 from 609 donations and is aiming to raise $55,000 for her family.

“Our hope is that these funds will give Imani’s parents the ability to focus on what matters most: grieving their daughter, caring for their grandson, and helping their children begin to heal — without the added fear of financial instability,” the page reads.