New York: Sherika De Armas, who represented Uruguay in the 2015 Miss World competition, died at the age of 26.
The brunette beauty queen died last week after having battled cervical cancer for two years, New York Post reported.
De Armas’ family and friends paid emotional tribute to the departed beauty queen.
Miss Uruguay, Carla Romero, remembered De Armas as one of the most beautiful women she had ever met in her life, adding that she was ‘too evolved for this world’.
A close friend of De Armas’ wrote that she would remember her with ‘that beautiful glow’.
Death of the rising star has sent shockwaves in Uruguay with many pouring out their hearts on social media.
The beauty queen’s brother Mayk' De Armas emotionally asked the departed soul to ‘Fly high, little sister. Always and forever’.
Miss Uruguay 2021, Lola de los Santos, said that she would remember De Armas’ support and affection for her, adding ‘your joy, the friends we shared and that remain with me today’.
The 26-year-old was "one of the only six 18-year-olds to compete" in the 2015 Miss World held in China.
Earlier she told NetUruguay that she always wanted to be a model no matter be it ‘a beauty model, an advertising model or a catwalk model’.
‘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,’ she was quoted as saying.
De Armas had a make-up line and sold personal care products, and took time off to work with the Perez Scremini Foundation, which treats children with cancer.
The World Health Organisation says Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.
‘In 2018, an estimated 570,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 311,000 women died from the disease. Effective primary (HPV vaccination) and secondary prevention approaches (screening for, and treating precancerous lesions) will prevent most cervical cancer cases,’ WHO website said.