The 2019 Miss USA winner died in January at the age of 30.
Nearly eight months after Cheslie Kryst's death, the Miss USA organization is ensuring that her legacy lives on. On Monday, a new Miss USA was crowned and the annual pageant took a moment to reflect on the life of its 2019 winner.
"If you're lucky in life, you get the chance to know someone who lights up a room, makes every moment seem better, and makes you feel important with a simple gesture or a word," FYI correspondent Christian Murphy said in a speech about Kryst's impact on the pageant world, according to Insider. "That was Cheslie Kryst."
"Now, I had the privilege to work alongside her, and her accomplishments were literally endless. Cheslie was crowned Miss USA 2019. And in the words of her family, she embodied love, and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA, and as a host on Extra. Most importantly as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor, and colleague," Murphy added.
He concluded his speech, saying, "We know her influence will live on, and tonight we honor Cheslie. We were lucky to have her if for only what seems like a fleeting moment, and even more blessed that her light lives on."
His speech was followed by a moment of silence by the live audience at the pageant.
Kryst represented North Carolina during the 2019 Miss USA and went on to use her platform as the winner to speak out on social justice issues and bring light to causes that she felt passionate about.
The TV correspondent died in January, at the age of 30, with her death ruled a suicide by the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
Her mom, April Simpkins, spoke out shortly after Kryst's death saying that she had "never known a pain as deep as this."
"I am forever changed. Today, what our family and friends privately knew was the cause of death of my sweet baby girl, Cheslie, was officially confirmed," Simpkins said in a statement given to ET. "While it may be hard to believe, it’s true. Cheslie led both a public and a private life. In her private life, she was dealing with high-functioning depression which she hid from everyone - including me, her closest confidant - until very shortly before her death."
"While her life on this earth was short, it was filled with many beautiful memories. We miss her laugh, her words of wisdom, her sense of humor and mostly her hugs. We miss all of it - we miss all of her," she continued, adding that the beauty pageant winner "was a vital part of our family which makes this loss even more devastating."
In May, Simpkins appeared on Red Table Talk and opened up about her daughter's longtime battle with depression. She explained that although she had known her daughter was suffering from depression, she didn't understand the severity. She revealed that Kryst attempted suicide once before in her 20s and, according to Simpkins, "began taking all the right steps" to heal afterward but would regularly deflect conversations away from herself.
The mother of six shared that the family -- which includes Kryst's biological father, Rodney Kryst -- grew tighter after grieving together and is working hard to "protect her legacy."
"I do hope opening up these discussions and talking about where she was and her state of mind hopefully encourages people to be kinder," Simpkins said. "Depression is not always marked by someone laying in bed. There are people who are high-functioning, who can get through the day because they wear that face. She wore the face, she had the smile. She laughed a laugh that was infectious. When something made her really smile from the gut her laugh came out... But it did not remove the depression."
"She truly was my best friend," Simpkins said, looking back on her relationship with her daughter. "She was the first person I talked to when I woke up -- we would go about our mornings FaceTiming each other. She would be putting on her makeup and I would be getting ready at my desk. To not have that makes mornings awful for me. I don’t know that I will get over the grief, I'm trying to accept that grief and I will do life together."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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