The former Miss America Leanza Cornett passed away at 49. The Miss America turned actress was hospitalized in her hometown, Jacksonville. The Still Waiting In The Wings actress suffered from a head injury a couple of weeks ago.
The news broke on social media when a fan and friends operated a Facebook page named Leanza Cornett's Circle of Love revealed the tragic news. The page was created to provide health updates of the television personality following her injury.
The page was managed by Sue Roberts, who disclosed in a post by addressing the Disney family. Roberts wrote that Cornett passed away in the afternoon, and she was loved a lot. However, he further mentioned that he doesn't feel like giving away many details because his heart is broken.
The news was confirmed by the Miss America Organization on their Facebook's official page as they announced the death of the Ex-Miss America and said that she had a beautiful and bright spirit. They further wrote that her laugh was infectious.
In the long post, the organization noted that they know how much she meant to her fans. They admitted being devastated following the sudden tragic loss the Miss America family has faced. However, they shared their deep condolence to Cornett's close friends and family for the loss.
The page concluded the post by writing that they don't have any further details on her death at this moment, and they asked fans to hold themselves and respect the actress' family through these hard times. While the reason for death was not mentioned in the post, News 4 Jax, a local NBC News affiliated tabloid, reported that she was hospitalized in Florida following her head injury.
Cornett's pageant journey was exceptionally successful as she won the crown in 1993 for Miss America pageant following her win at Miss Florida in 1992. After becoming an actress, Cornett played many memorable roles, while the most recent portrayal of the actress was Ariel's character in The Little Mermaid's live-action production. It was performed at Florida's Walt Disney World Resort.
The actress appeared on other popular television shows such as Weeds, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Cornett married American broadcaster and actor Mark Steines in 1995. However, they separated their ways in 2013 while sharing two children, Kai Steines, 18, and Avery Steines, 16.