Cal Gaunt
Mean Girls star Stephanie Bissonnette has died aged 32.
The original 2004 movie was written by Tina Fey and starred Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows and Amanda Seyfried.
The film was extremely successful, grossing $130 million at the box office, and it’s had a cult following ever since.
In 2013, Fey announced that a stage musical version of Mean Girls was in the works, which premiered on Broadway five years later.
Learn more about Stephanie Bissonnette and her tragic death below…
Bissonnette played the character Dawn Schweitzer in the musical adaptation of the movie, having previously studied performing arts at university.
She then became a dance teacher and choreographer for productions at a number of well-known theatres.
She also appeared in a music video for Keith Urban’s 2018 track, ‘Never Comin’ Down’.
But tragically in 2019, she was diagnosed with medulloblastoma.
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According to Mayo Clinic, medulloblastoma is a cancerous brain tumour in the primary central nervous system and begins in the brain or spinal cord.
She is said to have sought the diagnosis after feeling a ‘two-second twinge’ in her brain during a dance routine.
Bissonnette underwent surgery in February 2019, before returning to the show that October following a course of radiotherapy and recovery.
Mean Girls announced the news of her tragic death on Twitter this weekend: “Our hearts are broken as the Mean Girls community mourns the loss of Stephanie Bissonnette.”
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It added: “She filled our theatre with her laughter and friendship, inspired us with her fighting spirit and bravery, and graced our stage with the fiercest talent Broadway has ever known.
“Our original Dawn Sweitzer, Stephanie was part of our company from our first performance to our last.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Stephanie’s family, friends, and the entire Mean Girls community during this time.
“We will miss her profoundly and encourage everyone to do something they love today in Stephanie’s honour.”
After being diagnosed, Bissonnette credited her career as the reason she was able to catch the tumour in its early stages.
She told SurvivorNet: “I don’t think we would have found it if I worked a normal nine-to-five job.
“Because I move so much and I do crazy things for a living – I’ve been doing it since I was 5 – just that little moment in the show made me go, ‘Why am I having trouble today?’.
“There’s got to be something else going on.’”
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Fans of the Broadway show took to Instagram to express their shock and sadness after learning of Bissonette’s passing.
One person wrote: “This is truly devastating, what a tremendous loss. My heart goes out to the whole company and Steph’s family. She will be so missed.”
View this post on Instagram
Another said: “Rest in peace Stephanie, she was a very good asset to the Mean Girls cast, theatre community and world.”
“Very sad. Stephanie worked at our studio from time to time. She was a real pro. Good person too. What a terrible loss,” added a third.
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