Imani Dia Smith’s death has shocked the Broadway community, where she is remembered as a gifted performer in The Lion King and devoted mother.
By PC Burau
December 25, 2025: Imani Dia Smith, a former child actress best known for playing Young Nala in Disney’s long-running Broadway production The Lion King, was fatally stabbed on December 21, 2025, in Edison, New Jersey. She was 25 years old, though some reports list her age as 26.
Police responded to a 911 call around 9:18 a.m. reporting a stabbing at a residence on Grove Avenue. Officers found Smith suffering from multiple stab wounds and rushed her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Edison Police Department identified Smith’s boyfriend, 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small of Edison, as the suspect. He was arrested without incident and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Imani Smith, 26, who played Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway from 2011-2012, died after being stabbed by her boyfriend Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, on December 21. Jackson-Small was arrested “without incident” and charged with first-degree Murder.… pic.twitter.com/eqwC13pXAF
— Lipstick Alley (@lipstickalley) December 25, 2025
Prosecutors said Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other, confirming the killing was not a random act of violence. The child endangerment charge indicates that a child—reportedly Smith’s 3-year-old son—was present during the incident but was not physically harmed. Jackson-Small is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pretrial detention hearing. The investigation remains ongoing.
Smith’s family has described the killing as an act of domestic violence. In a GoFundMe campaign organized by her aunt, Kira Helper, the family wrote: “It is with a tragic and heavy heart that we share the loss of my niece, Imani Dia Smith, who was senselessly killed by her boyfriend on the morning of Sunday, December 21st, just ahead of Christmas.”
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Helper described Smith as a “vivacious, loving, and fiercely talented person” and a “true triple-threat performer,” saying her portrayal of Young Nala reflected “the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world.” Smith performed the role from September 27, 2011, to September 23, 2012.
The fundraiser, which initially sought between $50,000 and $55,000, is intended to help cover funeral and memorial expenses, crime scene cleanup, trauma therapy for family members—including Smith’s young son—legal costs, and ongoing care for her son and her dog, Kuro. As of late December 2025, more than $48,000 had been raised, with donations continuing from members of the theater community and supporters.
Smith is survived by her 3-year-old son, her parents, two younger siblings, and extended family. Her death has sent shockwaves through the Broadway community, where she is remembered for her talent, warmth, and generosity.
The case underscores the devastating toll of domestic violence, which claimed the life of a promising young artist and devoted mother.
