AN ACCOMPLISHED performer known for competing on So You Think You Can Dance and starring in films alongside Hollywood greats has died.
Donyelle Jones, 46, was remembered as a “warrior” by her heartbroken family after her death on Tuesday.
Her loved ones said the dancer died from cancer after battling the disease for 10 years.
“Today at 8:34am, Donyelle Denise Wilson, transitioned,” her family posted on the dancer’s Instagram.
“A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend.
“And a warrior who kicked cancer’s ass every single day she was here.”
Donyelle suffered from stage 3C breast cancer, according to the nonprofit Dancers Against Cancer.
During her treatment, she experienced “formidable challenges, including a double mastectomy, relentless rounds of chemotherapy, and the harsh reality of metastatic breast cancer,” Entertainment Weekly reported.
However, through it all, the dancer’s “spirit never dimmed,” her family said.
“Her heart never hardened,” wrote the heartbroken loved ones.
“And even in the storm, she never lost her smile.”
The dancer made her debut on So You Think You Can Dance in 2006.
She placed in third, following runner-up Travis Wall and winner Benji Schwimmer.
Donyelle would go on to star in the silver screen after rocketing to fame with her dancing talents.
In 2022, she appeared in the 2022 holiday movie Spirited, starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.
She was also in the 2005 movie Be Cool, which featured John Travolta and Uma Thurman, according to her IMDB page.
Donyelle opened up about the worsening condition in a now-devastated post just one week before her death was announced.
Nobody does anything alone.
Donyelle Jones,
“It has come to the point where I have started to get my affairs in order. Most of you guys know, at this point, I am in hospice,” she began the video posted on social media.
“I have done everything possible to extend my time here in this dimension and, at this point, I have surrendered to whatever God’s will is.
“And if God’s will is that he heals my liver, which is not functioning and not making me able to eat, and I get that miraculous healing, and I’m audacious enough to believe that he can do it — but I’m also cognizant enough to know that I’ve received 10 years of miracles.”
In the short video, Jones is seen wearing oxygen and a gray shirt as she smiles to the camera.
“What else can I possibly ask for, but for his discernment on when it’s his time for me to have my time on this side come to an end?” she said.
The dancer thanked everyone who had helped her throughout her journey, including the thousands of people who had prayed for her.
She ended her message by emphasizing the importance of focusing on community and family.
“Nobody does anything alone,” she said.
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown remembered her “dear friend” in a post online.
“My dear friend has gone on to be with the Lord,” Brown said.
“Thank you for showing us how to live and fight and love and DANCE!”
