Nikita Pearl Waligwa, the Ugandan child actress who starred in Disney’s Queen of Katwe, a film about a chess prodigy from a slum in Uganda, has died.
She shot to fame after she played Gloria who hailed from the slums of Uganda in the movie.
Nikita died on Saturday February 15th after a battle with brain tumour.
She was first diagnosed in 2016 and Queen of Katwe director Mira Nair reportedly mobilised people to help fund her treatment in India, with Ugandan doctors quoted as saying they did not have the necessary equipment.
She was given the all-clear in 2017 but last year, she suffered a relapse after another tumour was found in her brain.
Speaking to local media, a family member said Nikita suffered severe pain before she died.
“The brain was swollen and it is exerting a lot of pressure.”
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The “Queen of Katwe” also starred Lupita Nyong’o who said on Instagram that Nikita played Gloria with “such vibrancy.”
“In her real life she had the enormous challenge of battling brain cancer,” Nyong’o said. “My thoughts and prayers are with her family and community as they come to terms with having to say goodbye so soon.”
David Oyelowo, who also starred in the film, wrote on Instagram that Nikita was “a ball of light” in the film and in life.
“Her battle with a brain tumor was humbling to witness,” Oyelowo wrote. “Her light will live on.”
Nikita’s school, Gayaza High School, also tweeted about her death on Sunday.
“Fare thee well Nikita Pearl Waligwa. You were a darling to many and we have lost you to brain tumor at such a tender age,” the school’s tweet read. “Rest in Perfect Peace dear.”