Nikita Pearl Waligwa (2004 - 2020)

Born 1 Dec 2004 in Uganda

Died 15 Feb 2020 at age 15 in Naalya, Kampala, Uganda

Biography

Nikita Waligwa died young.

Nikita Pearl Waligwa was born in Uganda. She was the daughter of Rachael Asiimwe Waligwa.

Not much is know about her early life but in 2015, she was chosen to star in a 2016 Disney movie, "Queen of Katwe", about a chess champion coming of age. In the film, she played Gloria, the friend of the chess champion, Phiona. It would be her only film credit.

Nikita was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016. She went to India for treatment and recovered, but the tumor returned in 2019.

She passed away at only 15 years old. Her death was announced by Gayaza High School, which was an all-girls boarding school outside the Ugandan capital of Kampala where she was a student.

Sources

• https://www.thefamousbirthdays.com/people/nikita-pearl-waligwa

• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8421700/bio

• https://deadline.com/2020/02/nikita-pearl-waligwa-obituary-disney-star-queen-of-katwe-1202860997/

• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/16/arts/nikita-pearl-waligwa-dead.html

• https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/queen-katwe-actress-nikita-pearl-waligwa-dies-15/story?id=69018889

• https://insidethemagic.net/2020/02/nikita-pearl-waligwa-brain-tumor-kc1/

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51528522

• https://guardian.ng/life/6-quick-facts-about-late-queen-of-katwe-star-nikita-pearl-waligwa/