ACTRESS and NCIS: Hawai’i story editor Yakira Chambers has died at the age of 42.
Chamber‘s preliminary cause of death has been identified as acute asphyxia, her family told Deadline.
Yakira Chambers has died at the age of 42Getty Images – Getty
Chambers was reportedly with her mother outside a mall in Newport Beach, California, on November 30 when she began having difficulty breathing and collapsed, the outlet reported on Monday.
She was known as a writer and story editor on NCIS: Hawai’i, and also had acting roles in Insecure and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.
NCIS: Hawai’i will honor her in an episode that will air in January.
Chambers was also developing her own projects, including a TV pilot, at the time of her death, Deadline reported.
The Chicago native is survived by her husband Anthony Welch and mother Constance Chambers.
Her family said: “Her sudden and untimely death has left us all grief-stricken. Yakira was a light, a symbol of hope to our community, a steward of our culture, and a representation of what pursuing your dreams looks like.”
“Yakira’s passion extended beyond her daily work in the business; she loved helping others create a way out of no way. She believed in equity, and the demarginalization of persons of color to create a level playing field for all.
“This passion was actualized in the form of her foundation, CureConstanceFoundation, an organization born out of the necessity for finding financial options for those in health crisis.”
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Chambers’ family started a GoFundMe page for funeral costs that has collected $24,625 out of the $70,000 goal as of Tuesday morning.
NCIS Hawai’i actor Jason Antoon honored Chambers on Tuesday.
“We all loved Yakira here at the NCIS Hawai’i Ohana. Condolences and love to her family,” he wrote on Twitter.
Jan Nash, the show’s co-creator, also paid tribute to the star, writing: “We are heartbroken. May her memory be a blessing.”