Dia Smith: Former Broadway “The Lion King” Star Killed In NJ
December 29, 2025
2:12 am
Imani Dia Smith, former Young Nala in Broadway’s “The Lion King,” dies at 26 in New Jersey stabbing; boyfriend charged with murder and weapons offenses.
Imani Dia Smith, a former child actress who played Young Nala in Broadway’s acclaimed production of “The Lion King,” was fatally stabbed at her home in New Jersey on December 21, 2025. She was 26 years old.
Authorities arrested Smith’s boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and weapons offenses. Police have confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, but no further details about the …
