Donyelle Jones, who finished third during the second season of the reality show “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2006, died after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 46.
Jones’ family announced her death in a social media post.
“Today at 8:34 a.m., Donyelle Denise Wilson, transitioned,” family members wrote, using her real name. “A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend. And a warrior who kicked cancer’s ass every single day she was here.”
Jones’ death came almost a decade after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Jones memorably competed in the reality television show, finishing behind winner Benji Schwimmer and runner-up Travis Wall.
The nonprofit organization Dancers Against Cancer said that Jones’ stage 3C cancer condition included “formidable challenges, including a double mastectomy, relentless rounds of chemotherapy, and the harsh reality of metastatic breast cancer.”
In addition to “So You Think You Can Dance,” Jones also appeared as a dancer in the 2022 film “Sprited” and the music video for Missy Elliott’s “Pass That Dutch,” according to IMDb.com.
'So You Think You Can Dance' finalist Donyelle Jones, who competed in 2006, has died at 46. She had previously been diagnosed with cancer. https://t.co/CK0IHnHE4Y
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) December 3, 2025
Jones shared a video on Nov. 25, telling her followers that she was in hospice and that her liver was beginning to fail.
“She said she had “surrendered to whatever God’s will is,” and that she is “cognizant enough to know that I received 10 years of miracles.”
Jones’ death comes two months after the death of Joshua Allen, who won the fourth season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Allen died on Sept. 30.
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