Shark Victim Was 'Brightest Star In The Universe'

MANHATTAN, NY — The Wall Street executive who was killed by a tiger shark while scuba diving last week was remembered as "the brightest star in the Universe" in her obituary.

Rohina Bhandari died on Nov. 30 in a scuba diving exhibition near a remote island in Costa Rica. The Wall Street financier was a senior director at the firm W.L. Ross & Co.

Her obituary, published on Thursday in the New York Times, recalled the 49-year-old as an effusive and generous spirit.

"Presidents, Ambassadors and Princes were among the many who could not resist her warmth and radiant smile," according to her obituary.

Bhandari's trip to Costa Rica was one of many travels she took around the world.

Bhandari is survived by her mother, her brother and sister-in-law, her fiance Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal, and her golden retriever Simba, who she "loved as her child."

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that well wishers donate to U.S. Friends of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. The nonprofit is dedicated to preserving cheetah and other wildlife populations, primarily in South Africa.

Image credit: Ben Gabbe / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment. Pictured: Rohina Bhandari, right, photographed in 2014.