Lupita Nyong’o paid tribute to her “Queen of Katwe” co-star Nikita Pearl Waliga in a touching Instagram post on Sunday, following the announcement of the 15-year-old’s tragic death from brain cancer.
The teenager died at TMR International Hospital in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on Saturday, according to a Twitter announcement from the school in Uganda where she was a student.
Waliga was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and, after radiation therapy, she was told she was cancer-free a year later. However, another tumor was detected in 2019, WENN.com reports.
Nikita (right) was best known for her only starring role in Queen of Katwe as Gloria, a friend of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi (played by Madina Nalwanga). The film also starred David Oyelowo and Lupita, who played Mutesi’s mother in the Disney film.
Sharing a snap of Nikita from the movie, Lupita wrote:
“It is with great sadness that I post about the passing of Nikita Waligwa, the sweet, warm, talented girl whom I worked with on the film, Queen Of Katwe. She played Gloria with such vibrancy. In her real life she had the enormous challenge of battling brain cancer.
“My thoughts and prayers are with her family and community as they come to terms with having to say goodbye so soon. May she truly rest in piece [sic]. May it be well with her soul.”
