Miley Cyrus, 17

Miley Cyrus died Sunday night when she tumbled off the stage and broke her neck at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cyrus, 17, was line dancing while performing a 20th anniversary tribute to her father’s hit country song, “Achy-Breaky Heart” at the time of the fall. During a spin move to the left, the singer, unaware of how close to the edge of the stage she was, twisted on the toe of her boot and crashed headfirst onto the floor. The 35,000 fans in attendance fell immediately silent.

“I’m in shock,” said Kaila Smith, 18, of Memphis. “It just can’t be true, she was just one minute on the stage and the next minute completely gone. There’s no way!”

Plans are underway for a public memorial to be held this Friday in Anaheim, Calif. at Disneyland in front of Cinderella’s castle. Ticket distribution details are still being worked out.

Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee to Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus. She was their fourth child. Originally named Destiny Hope, her family soon took to calling her “Smiley”. The nickname was later shortened to Miley, prompting her to officially change her name in January 2008.

Cyrus began acting at age 8 and first appeared on her dad’s family drama Doc. At age 11, she auditioned for the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana and landed the title role. Almost immediately the show gained thousands of tween followers. The show is currently in its fifth and final season.

The Disney franchise also enabled Cyrus to launch her music career. Her first major single was “Girls Night Out,” which went platinum in the United States and sold more than 300,000 copies. Cyrus’ singing was characterized by her deep voice and southern accent. Her highest grossing single ever was her 2009 hit “Party in the USA.”

Cyrus first hit the big screen when she released a 3D concert movie of her “Best of Both Worlds” tour in 2008. In 2009 she starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie and later went on to star in The Last Song in 2010.

When not working, Cyrus enjoyed riding horses and shopping. “Miley loved life so much,” said her father Billy Ray in a press conference Monday morning. “She woke up every day with a smile on her face and such a positive outlook. Even in the face of harsh criticism, she was always so strong.”

In addition to her parents, Cyrus is survived by her five siblings; Christopher, Trace, Brandi, Braison, and Noah.

-Charles Yang and Stephanie Thornton