Diamond Marie Chaun Woods

In Loving Memory of Diamond February 26, 1992 – September 18, 2026 Diamond was born on February 26, 1992, in Detroit, Michigan, to Lisa Mari Woods. The eldest of nine siblings, Diamond entered the world with a personality that seemed destined to be seen. Long before there were auditions, movie sets, or dreams of Los Angeles, Diamond knew she wanted to be a star. She and her siblings grew up in their family home near Six Mile and Griggs in Detroit. It was there that so much of the Diamond her family remembers was formed: imaginative, energetic, ambitious, and almost always performing. Acting wasn’t simply something Diamond wanted to do; it was woven into who she was. She could slip into character at a moment’s notice, role-play endlessly, and, much to the amazement of her sisters, even cry on cue. Her dreams were never small. As children, Diamond and her sister Leslie would sometimes choose a time—often around two o’clock in the afternoon—just to sit together and daydream. They imagined the lives they would have, the places they would travel, and the people they would become. And when Diamond dreamed, she dreamed big. She pursued those dreams intentionally. Diamond attended Detroit School of Arts, where she studied acting and flourished among other young artists. Her talent and determination opened doors to opportunities that brought her closer to the life she had imagined for herself. Among them was participation in Usher’s New Look, a youth program that exposed young people to mentorship and opportunities for personal and creative development. Her pursuit of acting eventually brought Diamond to the screen. She appeared in the film Sparkle, an accomplishment that gave the young Detroit performer an opportunity to work alongside established entertainers and experience the world she had spent years imagining. But Diamond’s artistry was never limited to one medium. She acted. She danced. She modeled. She sang. She performed. And above all, she believed. Life changed dramatically for Diamond and her family around 2012 when their longtime family home was destroyed by fire. The loss displaced the family and separated siblings who had spent much of their lives under one roof. During an incredibly difficult period, Diamond remained deeply concerned about her younger brothers and sisters and wanted to create a future that could help both herself and the people she loved. In 2013, Diamond made one of the boldest decisions of her young life: she set her sights on Los Angeles. California represented what Diamond had talked about since childhood—the possibility of becoming the actress, model, and performer she had always envisioned. Around this same period, however, Diamond began experiencing serious mental illness and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. The illness would profoundly affect the course of her life and her relationships with the people who loved her. Yet Diamond’s diagnosis was never the entirety of Diamond. She continued on to Los Angeles, where she built relationships and found a community of people who came to know and care for her. Years later, when her family connected with some of those friends, they heard descriptions that sounded remarkably familiar. Full of life. Energetic. Ambitious. Always “on.” The Diamond they knew in Los Angeles was still, in unmistakable ways, the Diamond her family had known in Detroit. Diamond was the eldest of nine siblings and belonged to a family whose story has included tremendous love as well as tremendous loss. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lisa Mari Woods, and her sisters Alexis, who passed away in 2013, and Kayla, who passed away in 2026. She leaves behind her sisters Leslie, Ashley, Hailey, and Khanysha; her brothers Chaun, Devon, and TJ; along with [nieces, nephews, extended family — TO ADD], and a community of friends whose relationships with Diamond became especially meaningful during her years in California. Diamond passed away on September 18, 2026, at the age of 34. Her life did not follow the path she imagined during those childhood afternoons spent daydreaming. There were chapters of Diamond’s story that were difficult, chapters her family witnessed from afar, and chapters they are only now beginning to understand through the people who knew and loved her during those years. But none of those chapters erase the girl who dreamed. The girl from Six Mile and Griggs. The girl who could turn any room into her stage. The girl who danced, modeled, acted, and sang. The girl who packed her dreams and went all the way to Los Angeles because somewhere deep inside, she believed there was a place in this world for her light. Diamond always believed she was a star. And to the people who loved her, she always will be.