Sushmita Sen mourns the death of her dear friend Chelsi Smith
Former Miss Universe, Chelsi Smith, passed away on Saturday (September 9) after a year-long battle with liver cancer. The news of her death came as a shock to all, including Sushmita Sen. She was the one who crowned Smith after she won Miss Universe title in 1995. Mourning the sudden demise of Chelsi, Sushmita took to her social media account on Sunday to share a picture of the two from the crowning ceremony.
The picture shows Sen, who won the Miss Universe title in the year 1994, crowning her successor Smith.
Besides Sushmita, Shanna Moakler, who was the runner up at the 1995 pageant, also expressed her grief on social media in a lengthy heartening note.
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Having a hard time writing this. Found out the news of my good friend passing. I really don't know how to express to the world what a funny, loving, smart! She was so fucking smart... to smart for her own good and talented young woman she was. Because her light was so big and so bright, she changed my life. If it wasn't for her, her beauty and her energy, her incredible destiny, I wouldn't even be where I am today. Even when she was sick she was positive and radiant and never stopped laughing. I was crying and she was cheering me up! Thats who she was. Chelsi, I will never forget our long nights talking, singing, fighitng, dreaming... pageantry will never be the same, the world and my heart will not be the same. I will cherish my last conversations with you, I wish I was a better friend or could have done more. I know you are meant for bigger things then this world offered you. Visit me in my dreams queen I will be missing you and all your witty banter. Love love love you. Godspeed.
A post shared by Shanna Moakler (@shannamoakler) on
Smith, who was the first and the only Texan to win the Miss Universe crown, went to her mother’s home in Pennysalvia in the month of August, where she remained until she passed away on Saturday afternoon. According to Jarrod Klawinsky, a spokesman for Smith, the late star was diagnosed with cancer in spring 2017.
“It just got worse throughout 2017, and this year she became extremely weak,” Klawinsky told the Houston Chronicle.
Smith pursued a career in music in Los Angeles after the Miss Universe competition and was a model-turned-actress and a television show host too.
May her soul rest in peace.