Sherika De Armas, who represented Uruguay in the 2015 Miss World pageant, has died. She was 26 years old.
She died last week, according to local media, after a two-year fight with cervical cancer. Friends and family members paid heartfelt tribute to the brunette beauty queen.
“Fly high, little sister. Always and forever,” her brother, Mayk’ De Armas, said on social media.
The reigning Miss Uruguay, Carla Romero, mourned that De Armas was “too evolved for this world. One of the most beautiful women I have ever met in my life.”
Anto Ciavaglia, a close friend, wrote: “I remember you with that beautiful glow.”
De Armas did not place in the top 30 at the 2015 Miss World pageant in Sanya, China, however she was one of only six 18-year-old contestants.
At the time, one outlet complimented her “beautiful face, towering height and charismatic personality” while calling her “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,” she said in a translated interview with NetUruguay.
“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.”
Besides the runway, De Armas sold personal care, makeup, and hair products through the Shey De Armas Beauty Studio.
She was also believed to volunteer for the Pérez Scremini Foundation, which helps children with cancer.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, cervical cancer is most common in persons over the age of 30.
According to the organisation, regular screening and the HPV vaccine can help prevent the condition.
