Imani Dia Smith, Former Child Star of Broadway’s “The Lion King”, Dies at 26 —

by Chris Peterson

The New Jersey arts community is mourning the tragic death of a former Broadway child actress best known for her role as Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King. Imani Dia Smith was fatally stabbed Sunday morning, Dec. 21. She was 26.

According to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, police responded to a home on Grove Street in Edison around 9:18 a.m. Sunday, after reports of an injured woman. Responding officers found Smith with stab wounds and she was rushed to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

A 35-year-old Edison man, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, has been arrested and charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, and weapons offenses in connection with her death, authorities confirmed. While investigators did not specify the nature of his relationship with Smith, family members indicate that he was her boyfriend.

Smith captured audiences early in life with her performance as Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway from 2011 to 2012, where she was celebrated as a talented triple-threat performer with a gift for singing, acting, and dancing.

Her family and community remember her not just for her stage accomplishments but as a devoted mother and beloved daughter. Friends and relatives described her as someone whose vibrant presence extended far beyond the theater.

She leaves behind her parents, two younger siblings, and her young son, who is being cared for by his grandparents following the tragedy.

In the wake of her death, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Smith’s family with funeral and memorial costs, trauma therapy, legal and administrative expenses, and ongoing care for her son and pet dog, Kuro. As of press time, the fundraiser had raised $43,000 toward a $50,000 goal.