Sophie Nyweide on July 27, 2007. Photo:

Scott Wintrow/Getty 

• Child actress Sophie Nyweide died at the age of 24, according to an obituary published online
• Her family wrote that the young star’s “own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her are heartbroken their efforts couldn’t save her from her fate” 
• Nyweide last appeared onscreen in a 2015 episode of the reality series What Would You Do?
• 
• Sophie Nyweide, a former child actress who appeared in 12 movies and television series between 2006 and 2015, has died. She was 24.

Nyweide’s family announced that she died on Monday, April 14, in an online obituary published on Thursday, April 17. No cause of death has been made available.

“Sophie was a kind and trusting girl. Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others,” her family wrote in the obituary. “She wrote and drew voraciously and much of this art depicts the depth she had and it also represents the pain she suffered. Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas. Even with those roadmaps, diagnoses, and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her are heartbroken their efforts couldn’t save her from her fate.” 

“She self medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside, and it resulted in her death,” the obituary reads. “She repeatedly said she would ‘handle it’ on her own and was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life. Sophie. A life ended too soon. May it not be in vain. May we all learn from her brief life on earth and do better. Yes, we must all protect our children and do better.”

Sophie Nyweide on Oct. 25, 2007. Shawn Ehlers/WireImage

Nyweide made her onscreen debut as the title character in the 2006 movie Bella. In 2009, she portrayed Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal’s onscreen daughter in the movie Mammoth; she appeared in movies like An Invisible Sign and Shadows & Lies in 2010 and had a role in Darren Aronofsky’s 2014 Biblical epic Noah, which starred Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson.

The actress last appeared onscreen in a 2015 episode of the reality series What Would You Do?

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Nyweide’s family described her a “creative, athletic and wise beyond her years” in the obituary, adding that Nyweide “dreamed (more like demanded!) to be an actor, without ever knowing her mother was an actor, so she did that too with an ease we all marveled about.”

Sophie Nyweide at the premiere of ‘Mammoth’. camilla morandi/Corbis via Getty

“She seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else. It was a safe place for her and she relish from the casts and crews who nourished her talent and her well being,” the obituary reads. “She was an eager adventurer and picked up the customs and even languages of any place she visited. She made friends easily at her schools and saw the good in everyone.”

Nyweide’s family asked in the obituary that mourners make a donation to RAINN — the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, which functions as the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S. — in lieu of gifts or flowers.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.