Child Actress Nikita Pearl Waligwa Dies At 15 After Brain Cancer Diagnosis

Child Actor, Nikita Pearl Waligwa, Who Played Gloria In Disney's Queen of Katwe, Died At 15

  • Nikita Pearl Waligwa, who played Gloria in the 2016 Disney movie Queen of Katwe, died of cancer at 15.
  • Waligwa was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, and she had recovered after treatment in India in 2017.
  • She was again diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019.
  • Actress Lupita Nyong'o, who played the mother of lead Phiona Mutesi in the movie, paid her tribute to Waligwa in an Instagram post.

Heartfelt condolence!

Child actress, Nikita Pearl Waligwa, famously known as the star of 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe, has died. Multiple sources confirmed her death. She was 15.

According to Deadline, Waligwa had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. BBC reported she was diagnosed with the deadly disease in 2016. At the time, the Queen of Katwe director Mira Nair had helped raise funds for her cancer treatment in India.

Child actress Nikita Pearl Waligwa died of brain cancer SOURCE: NY Daily News

She was taken to India at the time after Ugandan doctors said they didn't have the necessary equipment. She was recovered after her treatment in India, however, she was again diagnosed with another tumor in 2019.

The 2016 film followed a chess prodigy rising from a Ugandan slum and was inspired by a true story of Phiona Mutesi, played by Madina Nalwanga. Mutesi started playing chess at nine and went on to compete in many international tournaments.

Actress Lupita Nyong'o played Mutesi's mother, and David Oyelowo played her chess teacher in the movie. Nikita played the role of Phiona Mutesi's friend, who explained the rules of chess to her.

Meanwhile, actress Lupita Nyong'o paid her tribute to Waligwa in an Instagram post, where she shared a photo of Waligwa from the Disney movie scene. The picture also featured one of her dialogue from the movie that said: "In chess, the small can become the big one."

"It is with great sadness that I post about the pa s sing of Nikita Waligwa, the sweet, warm, talented girl whom I worked with on the film, Queen Of Katwe," she wrote in the caption. She added,

She played Gloria with such vibrancy. In her real life she had the enormous challenge of battling brain cancer. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and community as they come to terms with having to say goodbye so soon. May she truly rest in piece. May it be well with her soul.

Actress Lupita Nyong'o paid her tribute to child actor Nikita Pearl Waligwa on Instagram SOURCE: Instagram@lupitanyongo

Rest in peace, Nikita Pearl Waligwa.

Related

05 Oct,2022 American Internet Personality Thomas Sanders Opens Up About His Sexuality-Know The Full Story

Thomas Sanders is a popular internet personality. He rose to fame from former video-sharing app Vine....

05 Oct,2022 Texas Mom, Emily “Susan” Law Killed By Ex-Boyfriend

Texas Triathlete Mom namely Emily "Susan" Law was allegedly killed by her ex-boyfriend, James Free....

05 Oct,2022 Former San Diego Chargers Player Kevin Ellison Dies At 31

Former San Diego Chargers player Kevin Ellison died at 31. Ellison's died suddenly while he was walk....

04 Oct,2022 Joe Budden And Cyn Santana Split Four Months After Engagement

Love & Hip Hop couple Joe Budden and Cyn Santana have split up after only four months of engagement.....

04 Oct,2022 Jeff Bezos Steps Out With Girlfriend Lauren Sanchez First Time After They Made Headlines In January

Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanches were spotted together for the first time. The couple wa....

02 Oct,2022 How Rich Is YouTuber Daniel Middleton Aka DanTDM? Net Worth, Income Sources, And Earnings

Daniel Middleton Aka DanTDM is a famous YouTuber and a vlogger. He never failed to dazzle his fans v....