Donyelle Jones Died at Age 46 After Battling Cancer
Donyelle Jones. Source: Instagram/@donyelledenise8.
So You Think You Can Dance finalist, Donyelle Jones, died at 46 after battling breast cancer for nearly ten years.
Who is Donyelle Jones?
Donyelle Denise Wilson, commonly known in the dancing world as Donyelle Jones, was a hip-hop/jazz dancer who gained popularity during her appearance in season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance, where she finished third.
Donyelle Jones’s cancer diagnosis
In 2016, Jones was diagnosed with stage 3C breast cancer, which later metastasized. As a result, she underwent a double mastectomy and many rounds of chemotherapy, according to Dancers Against Cancer.
Throughout her journey, Jones updated her followers and fans on Instagram about her health condition. In May, 2025, she shared in an Instagram video that her cancer had progressed to stage 4.
In the video, she said that her liver has shut down, adding that she had done “everything possible” to “extend her time”. She gave her thanks and appreciation for the thousands of wishes and prayers she received over the years.
Despite her deteriorating health condition, Jones conducted her first dance class in four years on July 6, 2025. In an Instagram post, she shared, “Cancer has robbed me of so much and I let grief of losing what I had in dance or how it connected to my life take over the possibility of how it can show up in my life right now.”
“I’m learning at every twist and turn of this journey called life how to navigate each season as they come,” She continued.
Donyelle Jones’s passing
On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 8.34am, the passing of Jones was confirmed on her official Instagram page. It said, “Today at 8:34am, Donyelle Denises Wilson, transitioned.”
In the post, she was remembered as “A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend. And a warrior who kicked cancer’s ass every single day she was here. Her spirit never dimmed. Her heart never hardened. And even in the storm, she never lost her smile.”