Shannon Tavarez
Born
Shannon Skye Tavarez

(1999-01-20)January 20, 1999
New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 2010(2010-11-01) (aged 11)
Cause of deathAcute myeloid leukemia
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2005–2010
Websiteshannonsshare.org

Shannon Skye Tavarez (January 20, 1999 – November 1, 2010) was an American child actress and singer. She played young Nala in the Broadway theatre production of The Lion King by Walt Disney Theatrical.

Background

Shannon Tavarez was the only child of Odiney Brown, a human resources administrator,[1] and one of the daughters of a Dominican man with the surname of "Tavarez".[2] She was a native and resident of Bellerose, Queens,[3] and an honors student at P.S. 176 [4] as well as a student of vocals and piano at the Harlem School of the Arts.[5] She was chosen to play the role of young Nala after a cattle call audition at the Apollo Theater,[6] and she became one of two girls who split the role, with each of the girls performing four shows per week.

Illness and death

Several months after her September 2009 debut in The Lion King, she was forced to leave the show after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.[7] Because of her African-American and Dominican ethnic backgrounds, she faced much greater difficulty in attempts to find a match for a bone marrow transplant.[8] Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and 50 Cent recruited prospective donors from among their fans to help her find a bone marrow donor.[9] Her former co-stars from The Lion King also helped her by selling "Shine for Shannon" key chains and bracelets to raise money to help her mother pay for her medical bills.[10]

Tavarez was then able to find a partial bone-marrow donor match.[11] She subsequently had an umbilical cord transplant (prior to which she'd been undergoing chemotherapy[12]) because the doctors could not find a full bone-marrow-donor match for her.[13] She died on November 1, 2010, at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, at the age of 11.[14]

The lights at the Minskoff Theatre, where The Lion King was playing, were dimmed in her memory on the night that she died,[15] and her funeral was held at Greater Allen A. M. E. Cathedral of New York.[16]

In a statement released following her death, her mother (who started Shannon's S.H.A.R.E Foundation a year thereafter) said that "Shannon's dream was to perform on stage, and that she did."[17][18]

References

  1. "Shannon Tavarez, 11-year-old who starred in Broadway's 'The Lion King', needs bone marrow transplant". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  2. "Lion King Actress Dies After Bone Marrow Match is Not Found". Fox News. 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  3. "Fundraiser honors the memory of 'Lion King' actress Shannon Tavarez, who drew 15,000 marrow donors". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  4. Lewis, Jessica. "LION KING Welcomes New 'Cubs'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  5. Diamond, Robert. "Shannon Tavarez Passes Away at 11". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  6. "Young 'Lion King' star Shannon Tavarez, 11, loses fight with leukemia". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  7. "Broadway's 'Lion King' Star Dies of Cancer". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  8. "Lion King Actress Dies After Bone Marrow Match is Not Found". Fox News. 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  9. "Lion King's 11-Year-Old Star, Befriended by Alicia, Rihanna and 50 Cent, Dies of Cancer". E! Online. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  10. "Broadway theater dims lights to honor actress". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  11. "Broadway turns out to help sick 'Lion King' actress". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  12. "Lion King Alum Shannon Tavarez Loses Battle with Leukemia at Age 11". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  13. "'Lion King' actress Shannon Tavarez to get transplant of umbilical-cord blood for leukemia treatment". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  14. Weber, Bruce (2010-11-03). "Shannon Tavarez, Nala in 'Lion King', Dies at 11". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  15. Young 'Lion King' star Shannon Tavarez recalled as 'selfless' day after death
  16. Shannon Tavarez Lovingly Remembered at Funeral
  17. Rihanna Mourns Shannon Tavarez
  18. "Fundraiser honors the memory of 'Lion King' actress Shannon Tavarez, who drew 15,000 marrow donors". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
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