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Former Miss World beauty pageant contestant Sherika De Armas, who represented Uruguay, has died at the age of 26, the New York Post reports, citing local Uruguayan media.
De Armas was reported to have died last week following a two-year battle with cervical cancer.
“Fly high, little sister. Always and forever,” her brother, Mayk’ De Armas, wrote on social media via the Post.
Carla Romero, the reigning Miss Uruguay, called De Armas "one of the most beautiful women I have ever met in my life" and said she was "too evolved for this world" following news of her fellow pageant contestant's death.
De Armas competed in the 2015 Miss World contest in Sanya, China, as one of only six 18-year-old participants, finishing outside of the top 30. Beauty pageant website Angelopedia.com described her as having a "beautiful face, towering height and charismatic personality," while claiming she was "one of the young promising talents of Uruguay.
“I always wanted to be a model, whether a beauty model, an advertising model or a catwalk model,” De Armas said in a translated interview with NetUruguay, via Univision,
“I like everything related to fashion and I think that within a beauty pageant, any girl’s dream is to have the opportunity to participate in Miss Universe. I am very happy to be able to live this experience full of challenges.”