Community mourns trailblazing Indigenous actor and director Georgina Lightning | CBC News

Daughter confirms Lightning's death in social media post Saturday night

First Nations filmmaker and actor Georgina Lightning has died at the age of 63.

Her daughter, Crystle Lightning, announced the news online late Saturday night, describing the death of her mother, whom she remembered as her role model and trusted confidant, as a shocking loss.

Social media posts link her death to the Enoch Indian Relay World Championship at the Enoch Park Race Track, an event Lightning posted about on her Facebook page just one day before her death was made public.

Enoch Cree Nation announced in a statement that it "is mourning the loss of a community member following an incident that occurred during [Saturday's] Indian Relay event."

CBC News has learned that Lightning died Saturday after being struck by a horse at the Indigenous equestrian event west of Edmonton.

RCMP told CBC News on Sunday that officers were called to the Enoch Park Race Track shortly after 6:30 p.m. local time Saturday, where a woman had died before police arrived. 

RCMP Cpl. Mathew Howell said a horse involved in the relay had "went off track" and struck a woman who was standing in the media area of the stands.

RCMP said that Occupational Health and Safety will take over the investigation. 

Michelle Thrush worked with Lightning on the TV series Blackstone. While she wasn't there when Lightning died, she said she received a call in real time from a mutual friend who was there, and was looking for Lightning's son Cody.

"It was just so incredibly tragic and shocking that it was just unbelievable," said Thrush in an interview with CBC News.

Thrush said she called Lightning's daughter Crystle while the family was waiting for news. Thrush said the loss of Lightning has been a huge hit to their community.