On Friday, March 8, 2024, Miss Universe Guyana Asst. Director Toni Burnett passed away surrounded by her loving family and friends after experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest and was laid to rest in Washington, DC on Friday, March 15, 2024. Toni was born to Guyanese parents Caroline Burnett and Eric Smith on February 28,1989.
The Miss Guyana Universe Pageant in a statement said it is with much sadness it announced her passing.  Toni was a powerhouse in the fashion and pageant industries working with some of the nation’s biggest fashion brands and claimed pageant titles such as Miss Guyana (2010), Miss Caribbean Metro USA (2010), Ms. Maryland United States (2017) and Ms. United States 2017.Â
Toni also spearheaded and coached many fashion runway shows throughout the United States and Caribbean as well as mentored countless individuals during her lifetime, leaving a lasting impact on the modeling and pageant world.
Toni is survived by her son, parents, and loving extended family. The Pageant said Toni’s extraordinary life, marked by her infectious humour, radiant smile and boundless love, will forever inspire and be cherished. “Her unique spirit and legacy will continue to live on through the Miss Universe Guyana organisation and those who loved her dearly.”
