Iyanla Vanzant has experienced the loss of two daughters: her eldest daughter, Gemmia, and her youngest daughter, Nisa.

How Iyanla’s daughters died

  • Gemmia Vanzant (the eldest) died on Christmas Day in 2003 after a battle with a rare form of colon cancer, when she was about 30–32 years old.
  • Nisa Vanzant (the youngest) died in 2023; her family announced her “transition” publicly but did not disclose an official cause of death or detailed circumstances.

What has been publicly shared

  • The announcement about Nisa’s death came through a short family statement asking for prayers and privacy, without explaining how she died.
  • Reports have emphasized that this loss came roughly 20 years after Iyanla lost her eldest daughter, making it a second major family tragedy.

Iyanla’s own reflections on their deaths

  • Iyanla has spoken in interviews and podcasts about how caring for Gemmia during her illness for about 15 months and then losing her left her in profound grief, and how her faith and spiritual practices helped her continue living.
  • She has described finding Gemmia’s journals after her death as something that “saved” her life emotionally, and has framed both losses within her spiritual understanding of purpose and healing.

Respecting privacy and limits of information

  • For Nisa, there is no verified, detailed public information about the specific medical or other cause of death; any rumors online go beyond what the family has chosen to share and should be treated as speculation.
  • Given that these are deeply sensitive personal losses, coverage in reputable outlets focuses on acknowledging the deaths, expressing condolences, and sharing Iyanla’s reflections on grief rather than graphic or private details.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.