(WJHL) — Miss America 1993 and Big Stone Gap native Leanza Cornett has died.
The Miss America Organization confirmed Cornett’s death in a social media post Wednesday night.
Cornett died Wednesday after suffering a brain injury earlier this month.
Born in Big Stone Gap, Cornett and her family moved to Florida when she was 13 years old.
“I’ve always called Big Stone Gap my home and I’ve always called Southwest Virginia my home,” she said in a 2017 interview on Daytime Tri-Cities.
She was the first actress to play a live-action version of the character Ariel in the Little Mermaid stage show at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Cornett leaves behind two teenage sons along with her parents who still live in Big Stone Gap. She was 49-years-old.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 21: Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett tries on a hat in New York 21 September, 1992. Cornett was picking out her wardrobe where she announced that she would wear only U.S. fashions in support of U.S. textile and apparel workers. Cornett, an AIDS activist, plans to speak about AIDS in smalltown schools and churches. (Photo credit should read HELAYNE SEIDMAN/AFP via Getty Images) 
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – SEPTEMBER 09: Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett participates during Miss America 2018 – Show Me Your Shoes Parade on September 9, 2017 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images for Dick Clark Productions) 
(Photo: AP) 
(Photo: AP)
This is a developing story. Look for updates on WJHL.com and the WJHL News app.
