| ■ Leukemia Claims Life of 11-Year-Old 'Lion King' Actress | 2010.11.07 |
| An 11-year-old girl who starred on Broadway in "The Lion King" died from leukemia Monday afternoon. Shannon Tavarez, who played the young lion Nala in the hit musical, died at Cohen Children's Medical Center in Hyde Park, Long Island, said Katharina Harf, co-founder of the bone marrow donor center DKMS, the Associated Press reported. A perfect bone marrow match for Tavarez could not be found, even though a massive publicity campaign resulted in the registration of 10,000 potential donors. As an alternative, Tavarez underwent an umbilical cord blood transplant in August. Her illness forced Tavarez to quit "The Lion King" in April. She had shared the role of Nala with another girl and performed four shows a week for six months, the AP reported. |