Imani Smith, Former ‘Lion King’ Child Star, Killed at 25; Boyfriend Charged With Murder

Imani Smith, a former child actor who starred in “The Lion King” on Broadway, was found dead on Dec. 21, according to a press release from Middlesex County, N.J., Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department. She was 25.

Police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at 9:18 a.m. on Dec. 21. Upon arrival, they found Smith with stab wounds and transported her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. After an investigation, Edison police arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, without incident and charged him with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

According to the press release, Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident. Smith’s aunt, who started a GoFundMe to raise money for their family, wrote that Jackson-Small was Smith’s boyfriend. He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center.

“Imani had her whole life ahead of her,” her aunt wrote. “She was a vivacious, loving and fiercely talented person. A true triple-threat performer, she most notably played the role of Young Nala on Broadway in Disney’s ‘Lion King’ — an experience that reflected the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world.”

According to Playbill, Smith played young Nala in “The Lion King” from Sept. 27, 2011, to Sept. 23, 2012. Her mother, Monique Rance-Helper, is a hair stylist who has worked on the “In the Heights” film, FX’s “Pose” series and Broadway shows “Eclipsed” “Once on This Island,” “The Lightning Thief” and more.

Smith is survived by a 3-year-old son, her parents and her her two siblings.