Tributes paid to young actor

Mya-Lecia Naylor, who starred in the CBBC comedies Almost Never and Millie Inbetween, has died  suddenly at the age of 16.

The cause of her death on April 7 has not been disclosed.

Her agents A&J Management, described the child star as ‘deeply talented’ and said they would miss her ‘greatly’.

Announcing the news tonight, they said: ‘It is with the deepest sorrow we have to announce that on Sunday 7th April Mya-Lecia Naylor, very sadly, died.

‘Mya-Lecia was hugely talented and a big part of A&J, we will miss her greatly.

‘Our love and thoughts are with all her family and friends at this difficult time.’

A statement posted to Almost Never’s Instagram account said: ‘We are so sorry to have to tell you that Mya-Lecia, who you will know from Millie Inbetween and Almost Never has, very sadly, died.

‘Mya-Lecia was a much loved part of the BBC Children’s family, and a hugely talented actress, singer and dancer.

‘We will miss her enormously and we are sure that you will want to join us in sending all our love to her family and friends.’

She starred starred as Fran in two series of Millie Inbetween, about two sisters whose parents have split up, and Mya, lead singer of girl group Girls Here First, in Almost Never.

Her first screen role was in Absolutely Fabulous in 2004, when she was just two, and she also had  role in the 2012 movie Cloud Atlas.

Inbetweeners and I’m A Celebrity star Emily Atack, who also starred in Almost Never alongside Naylor, said: ‘So shocked and sad to hear about lovely Mya-Lecia Naylor. She was a beautiful and talented girl.  A complete joy to be around on the set of Almost Never. Sending all my love to her family & friends. Rest in peace beautiful girl x.’

Alice Webb, director of BBC Children’s said news of Mya-Lecia's death had left her team ‘distraught and so terribly sad. She has shone so brightly on our screens, both in Millie Inbetween and Almost Never, and it's unthinkable that she won't be part of our journey going forward.’

View this post on Instagram

Our thoughts are with Mya-Lecia’s family, friends and everyone that loved her at this very sad time. RIP Mya-Lecia ❤️⁣ ⁣ Message from CBBC:⁣ ⁣ MYA-LECIA ⁣NAYLOR We are so sorry to have to tell you that Mya-Lecia, who you will know from “Millie Inbetween” and “Almost Never”, has very sadly died. Mya-Lecia was a much loved part of the BBC Children’s family, and a hugely talented actress, singer and dancer. We will miss her enormously and we are sure that you will want to join us in sending all our love to her family and friends. ⁣ ⁣ We know this news is very upsetting, and it may help to share how you are feeling with friends or a trusted adult. If you are struggling and there is no one you feel you can talk to about it, you can call @Childline_official on 0800 11 11.⁣ ⁣ You can also find an online condolence book on the CBBC website.

A post shared by Almost Never (@almostnevershow) on Apr 17, 2019 at 8:01am PDT

Published: 18 Apr 2019