Disney star Nikita Pearl Waligwa has died at age 15

Nikita Pearl Waligwa, who played Gloria in the 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe, has died at 15.

Her death was announced by Ugandan media, who confirmed that Nikita died Saturday night in Uganda as a result of a brain tumour. She was first diagnosed in 2016.

Queen of Katwe is based on the true story of Ugandan woman Phiona Mutesi, whose life changed when she took up the game of chess and, despite not being in school, became so successful that she became a chess player on the international stage.

The film also starred Lupita Nyong'o as her mother and David Oyelowo as her chess teacher. Nikita played Mutesi’s friend.

Tributes to Nikita have been cropping up across social media. Gayaza High School, where Nikita was a student, called her “a darling to many.”

Fans also took to social media to express their condolences.

“RIP young queen,” wrote one fan; others reflected on how her death touched the entire nation of Uganda. “Uganda is grieving,” a commenter wrote.

According to Ugandan paper the Daily Monitor, Queen of Katwe director Mira Nair tried to raise funds to bring Nikita to Nair’s home country of India for treatment, as Ugandan doctors were quoted as saying “they did not have the necessary equipment.”

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