Eva Leanza Cornett (June 10, 1971 – October 28, 2020) was an American television personality and beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned

Miss Florida The Miss Florida competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Florida in the Miss America pageant. Florida has twice won the Miss America crown. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated Miss F ...

1992 and Miss America 1993 the same year.

Early life

Cornett was born in

Big Stone Gap, Virginia Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The town was economically centered around the coal industry for much of its early development. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census. History The community was formerly kno ...

, and was a 1989 graduate of Terry Parker High School. She was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Pageantry

Cornett was previously

National Sweetheart Miss National Sweetheart is a United States beauty pageant created in 1941 where runners-up from the Miss America state pageants are invited to Hoopeston, Illinois to compete for the title of Miss National Sweetheart, and the name of the title held ...

1991. As

Miss America 1993 Miss America 1993 was the 66th Miss America pageant, which was held on September 19, 1992. The winner, Leanza Cornett, was the first Miss Florida to take the crown. She later became a television personality for programs such as '' Entertainmen ...

, she became the first Miss America to adopt AIDS awareness as her platform for her year of service. She became one of the first Miss America titleholders to refuse to wear the Miss America crown at public appearances.

Career

Cornett was the first actress to play a live-action version of

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

, the title character from ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'', at the "Voyage of The Little Mermaid" show at

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

in 1991. She was also a member of the contemporary Christian music group Area Code, which released their single album, ''One Big World'', before Leanza’s big break. Cornett also served as a host for several television shows, including '' Entertainment Tonight'' (1994–1995), ''New Attitudes'' (1998), and '' Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?'' (2000). She made television guest appearances in television series such as '' Melrose Place'', '' The Tick'', '' CSI'', and ''

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

'', and '' Fear Factor''. In addition, she served as a reporter for

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...

's coverage of the

Eukanuba Eukanuba ( ) is the brand name of dog food and cat food, owned and manufactured by Mars, Incorporated worldwide and by Spectrum Brands in European markets; previously handled by Procter & Gamble from 1999 through 2014. The company produces 1 ...

AKC National

Dog Show A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a '' breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs ' ...

programs, and hosted the "On The Block" show on

DIY Network Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics such as home construction, renovation, and cuisine. The channe ...

. Her stage credits included ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

'', ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hym ...

'', ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'', ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

'', and '' Voyage of the Little Mermaid''.

Personal life

Cornett married broadcast journalist Mark Steines on July 22, 1995. Weeks after their wedding, Cornett was let go from her ''Entertainment Tonight'' position and immediately replaced by Steines himself. Cornett and Steines had two sons, Kai Harper (born on February 19, 2002), and Avery James (born on November 4, 2003). The couple later divorced after 17 years of marriage. She died on October 28, 2020, after being hospitalized for a head injury incurred in a fall at her home in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

References

External links

*
Delta Delta Delta Distinguished Alumnae profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornett, Leanza 1971 births American infotainers American women television personalities Miss America 1993 delegates Miss America winners People from Big Stone Gap, Virginia People from Jacksonville, Florida Rollins College alumni 2020 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Florida Deaths from head injury 20th-century American people Television personalities from Florida