Friday, November 5, 2010
Shannon Tavarez, the 11-year-old Broadway actress who starred in the hit musical "The Lion King," died Monday after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Known for visiting and helping other cancer patients, Rihanna took to her Twitter to send condolences to the family of the young star.
"Just got off of a plane ride and got horrible news that our little star Shannon [Tavarez] has lost her battle against leukemia! Way too soon ... keep her family in your prayers," Rihanna tweeted on Tuesday.
Diagnosed with leukemia in April, Tavarez had difficulty finding a bone marrow match because of her mixed ethnicities (African-American and Hispanic). Rihanna and Alicia Keys attempted to raise awareness for the performer by encouraging fans to register as donors.
"[Tavarez] should be performing on Broadway, but is confined to her bed, fighting for her life," the singer told People in July. "She needs to find a bone marrow donor to survive. I urge all my fans to register [as donors]. It's the most beautiful thing someone could do, to give the gift of life."
Despite their efforts, doctors were unable to locate a suitable bone marrow donor. In August, they took a different approach as the performer underwent an umbilical-cord blood transplant at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York.
Shannon's dream was to perform onstage, and that she did. It is our hope that Shannon's legacy will continue to inspire other brave children battling leukemia. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers."
In addition to the R&B singers, 50 Cent and Tony Yayo also joined the cause, filming a PSA for the "Get Swabbed to Save a Life" project.
Earlier this year, another cancer patient, Jasmina Anema, to whom Rihanna had remained close, also lost her fight against leukemia.
Rihanna has climbed to the top of the Irish single's chart this week.
The singer scores her third number one track with 'Only Girl (In The World)' following her well-received performance on last weekend's X Factor. She is predicted to repeat the chart success in the UK this week.
Rihanna knocks last week's number one from Cheryl Cole down to second place. There is no change from numbers three to seven as tracks from Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Duck Sauce, Cee Lo Green and Mike Posner retain their respective positions.
The top ten sees one new entry from Shakespears Sister as 'Stay' returns to the chart 18 years after it topped the chart, thanks to Cher Lloyd's highly-praised performance on The X Factor.
Meanwhile, Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle faces disappointment as her debut solo single 'Insatiable' enters at number 20.