#leanza cornett

[hivthenandnow]

Leanza Cornett, former Miss America, dies at 49

“Leanza had a bright and beautiful spirit and her laugh was infectious. We know she meant so much to so many,” the Miss America Organization

She was one of the first “mainstream” personalities to embrace HIV/AIDS. Choosing AIDS awareness as her Miss America platform in 1993 was a bold move.

[pozmagazine]

R.I.P. Leanza Cornett, Miss America ’93 and Trailblazing AIDS Activist

Unafraid of controversy, she spoke publicly about HIV and safe sex. Here’s an excerpt from her 1997 POZ Q&A.

Leanza Cornett, who was crowned Miss America 1993 and used her platform to raise awareness about AIDS at a time when the subject was controversial, died October 28, 2020, after suffering a head injury during a fall at her home in Jacksonville, Florida, reports The Washington Post. She was 49.

Before the Miss America pageant, she had starred in The Little Mermaid at the Disney-MGM Studios Park in Orlando. It was through the theater that she met friends who had HIV and died of AIDS-related illness. It made her want to speak out and promote safer sex, even at public schools that didn’t want her to use the words AIDS or condoms. But she persisted.

[glamourfame]

Former Miss America Leanza Cornett Dies at 49

Sad news surfaced recently, the former Miss America in 1993, Leanza Cornett, passed away at the age of 49 following a head injury. The news of Leanza's passing was confirmed by the Miss America organization.

Sad news surfaced recently, the former Miss America in 1993, Leanza Cornett, passed away at the age of 49 following a head injury.  The news of Leanza's passing was confirmed by the Miss America organization.