Kailia Posey tragically died at just 16 years old, her mom, Marcy Posey Gatterman, announced Monday.
“I don’t have words or any thoughts. A beautiful baby girl is gone,” she wrote without disclosing how the teen died. “Please give us privacy as we mourn the loss of Kailia. My baby forever.”
While most knew the precocious teen from her days on TLC favorite “Toddlers & Tiaras,” there’s so much more to the young pageant pro who aspired to enter aviation.
Learn more about the late Posey below.
The toddler hits television
Posey appeared in at least two episodes of TLC hit “Toddlers & Tiaras,” making her debut in 2012 when she was 5 years old in an episode entitled, “California Tropic Arizona.”
“Perfectionist Danielle, 10 and rivals Kayla, 4 and Kailia, 5 put it all on the line at the California Tropic Arizona pageant,” reads the episode’s IMDb bio.
In a 2016 episode, Posey’s mother reveals that the budding star began competing in pageants at 3 years old.
“She’a a pro when she hits that stage,” she added. “She’ll say she’s nervous, but once she hits that stage, she’s a pro.”
The GIF that keeps on giving
Her debut appearance on the reality show produced a popular GIF of the adorable toddler grinning for the confessional camera. It has circulated far and wide over the last decade.
Teen titan
Posey continued to compete in pageants into her teens, sharing several behind-the-scenes moments from her competitions on Instagram.
“Had a blast at UDQ! Love all my friends and family who came to cheer me on❤️,” she captioned snaps from an April 2021 pageant.
She most recently participated in the Miss Teen Washington pageant in February.
Creative contortionist
The young beauty was also a practicing contortionist, often exhibiting her highly-skilled moves during the talent portion of her pageants. She has also performed with Cirque du Soleil.
“Great contortion class today, learning new skills is a great filling,” Posey captioned a video of herself balancing her body weight on her two hands while upside down.
Budding star
While Posey largely focused on her future in pageantry, the teen also ventured off into acting, playing Agnes in the Netflix horror movie “Eli” in 2018.
Dreams of taking flight
The teen — who had recently just attended her high school prom in Washington — had dreams of studying aviation in college with intentions of becoming a commercial airline pilot, according to her pageant biography.
It adds that the talented high schooler was named to the Dean’s List for excelling academically during the 2020/2021 school year.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism