Mya-Lecia Naylor, a young British child actor, has died, People reports. She was 16-years-old at the time of her passing.
Naylor was best known for appearing on teen-centric shows on the Children’s BBC network (CBBC). From 2014-2018, she appeared on 50 episodes of Millie Inbetween, which follows the exploits of 12-year-old Millie and her older sister Lauren, whose parents have recently separated. Naylor played the role of Fran and was a main cast member for the show’s five seasons.
This year, Naylor appeared in 11 episodes of CBBC’s Almost Never, a comedy-drama which followed the trials and tribulations of a boy band — called The Wonderland — as they balanced their journey for fame and fortune with school, family, friends, and relationships. The Season 1 finale aired on April 9, and at the time of writing, it is not clear if the show will be renewed for a second series, and whether or not Naylor’s death will impact production.
The BBC released a statement regarding Naylor’s death.
“We are so sorry to have to tell you that Mya-Lecia, who you will know from ‘Millie Inbetween’ and ‘Almost Never’ has, very sadly, died,” the network’s statement reads. “Mya-Lecia was a much loved part of the BBC Children’s family, and a hugely talented actress, singer and dancer.”
“We will miss her enormously and we are sure that you will want to join us in sending all our love to her family and friends.”
As reported by the BBC , Naylor died on April 7 after she collapsed. Her cause of death has not been confirmed.
The official Instagram page for Almost Never posted about Naylor’s death earlier this week, penning a heartfelt message for the show’s fans and followers.
“Our thoughts are with Mya-Lecia’s family, friends and everyone that loved her at this very sad time. RIP Mya-Lecia,” the message reads. One of the show’s stars, Emily Atack, also took to Instagram to post about Naylor’s death, sharing that “she was a beautiful and talented girl.”
British actress Mya-Lecia Naylor, known for her role in ‘Cloud Atlas,’ has died at 16. https://t.co/08y2VIgxsS
— USA TODAY Life (@usatodaylife) April 18, 2019
As detailed on Naylor’s IMDb page, the actress appeared on a handful of other TV series during her career. Aside from one-off appearances on Absolutely Fabulous and Cartoonito Tales, Mya-Lecia Naylor had recurring roles on Tati’s Hotel and The Last Weekend. She also had roles in a handful of sci-fi films, including Index Zero, Code Red, and Cloud Atlas, the latter of which was directed by The Wachowskis, of The Matrix fame.
Naylor was set to star in the pilot episode of The Witcher TV series.