May 3 (UPI) -- Former Toddlers & Tiaras star Kailia Posey has died, her family announced. She was 16.
Posey's mother, Marcy Posey Gatterman, confirmed the news of her death Monday on social media. In that Facebook post, Gatterman shared a photo of Posey in the gown she wore to prom last month.
No cause of death was revealed.
"I don't have any words or any thoughts," she wrote. "A beautiful baby girl is gone. Please give us privacy as we mourn the loss of Kailia. My baby forever."
Posey was best known for appearing on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras, which originally aired from 2009-13. She was just 5 years old when she appeared in one episode of the reality series, which focused on the families of children who competed in beauty pageant contests.
In that episode, Posey competed in the California Tropic Arizona pageant. She became one of the series' most recognizable faces after her grinning reaction during an interview became a popular GIF.
Following her brief stint on the show, Posey continued to compete in pageants. In January, she announced that she was competing in Miss Washington Teen USA in February.
