NewsWhore
11-03-2010, 03:50 PM
Shannon Tavarez, a brilliant young singer-actress in the huge Broadway hit "The Lion King, passed away yesterday, a victim of leukemia. The young Dominican actress beat out hundreds of other hopefuls for the role of the young lion Nala, the childhood pal and girlfriend of Simba the star of the musical. Her battle with leukemia won the hearts of many other stars, including Alicia Keys, Rihanna and 50 Cent, who campaigned for months to find a suitable bone marrow donor. Keys communicated with Shannon on Skype while she was in the hospital and Rihanna and 50 Cent called on their fans to sign up for donor programs. The issue was complicated by the fact that Shannon's mother is African-American and her father is Dominican. The beautiful young star was forced to quit the show in April and her fellow cast members in the Lion King and other Broadway productions came together to sell bracelets and key chains that read "Shine for Shannon" to raise money for her treatment. She was just 11 years old.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#11)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#11)