According to Uganda’s Daily Monitor, the young actress was diagnosed with the tumor in 2016 as she took on the role of Gloria in Katwe. It was a movie based on the life of Phiona Mutesi who started playing chess at nine despite living in the Ugandan slum of Katwe and not being in school. She ultimately competed in international tournaments and won. Waligwa was cast as Gloria, the daughter of Lupita Nyong’o’s character, and she explained chess to her friend Phiona, helping her become a champion.

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Nyong’o honored Waligwa upon news of her passing with a touching tribute on Instagram.

“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,” the Oscar winner wrote.

Source: ‘Queen of Katwe’ star Nikita Pearl Waligwa Dies at 15