Chelsi Smith, 1995 Miss Universe of Texas, dies at the age of 45

Chelsi Smith, the first and only Texan to wear the Miss Universe crown, died Saturday after a long battle with liver cancer, according to his family. She was 45 years old.

The Beauty Queen of Deer Park began her winning streak in 1994 at the Miss Galveston and Miss Texas competitions, where she celebrated her biracial heritage and is committed to fighting racism. She won the coveted Miss USA title in 1995.

She was 22 years old and attending San Jacinto College when the judges of Miss Universe in Namibia, Africa, awarded her the title of laureate among 81 other candidates.

Jarrod Klawinsky, a spokesperson for Smith, said she was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2017.

"The situation has worsened in 2017 and this year it has become extremely weak," Klawinsky told the Houston Chronicle. "She knew she was not going to survive it."

In August, Smith went to her mother's home in Pennsylvania, where she remained until her death on Saturday afternoon. A statement from the Smith family hailed her as "an example for young women around the world."

"We are heartbroken to share the news of Chelsi Smith's disappearance following a long illness," the statement said. "Chelsi was our loving daughter, niece and friend. His contagious laugh, his joie de vivre and his free spirit will be missed. She left an indelible mark on everyone who knew her.

Smith, a 1991 graduate of Deer Park High School in southeast Houston, was raised by her grandmother. His mother was white and his father was African-American. Smith is opposed to being identified as black during the competition in the show circuit.

"If people will know me," Smith told The Houston Post, "I just think it's important for them to know that I'm half black and half white and that it's not been a disadvantage. "

She thought back to her life of pageantry with the disenchantment of allowing her to doubt her identity. "You forget who you really are and where you come from and why you are here," she said in 1997 after dropping her Miss Universe crown.

After the Miss Universe contest, she pursued a musical career in Los Angeles. But she called Houston home and lived in Montrose, where she worked as a contest coach.

She is survived by her mother, Mary Denise Trimble, and her aunt, Paulette Trimble. A memorial for Smith is planned next month in Houston.

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