Charlbi Dean Cause of Death Revealed: Actress Dead at 32 Years After Near-Death Accident

By Alexandria Reeves

Model and actress Charlbi Dean, who appeared in "Black Lightning," died unexpectedly at 32.

The industry lost one of its up-and-coming actors after Dean passed away on Monday in New York. Multiple news outlets, including Variety and Entertainment Weekly, said that the actress and model passed away at a hospital in New York.

The reports added that Charlbi Dean died after suffering from a sudden illness. It remains unknown what exact health issue she suffered from, but her death came over a decade after she survived a fiery car crash in 2008.

At that time, the then-18-year-old model got involved in a near-fatal car crash in Cape Town. The event left her with severe injuries that required her to be admitted to the ICU. Five other passengers were also injured, including her boyfriend at the time of the incident.

Following her shocking death, her fans expressed their surprise as they found her passing truly untimely.

Film critic @GuyLodge said, "What a massive shock and tragedy. She's so witty and deadpan and clockwork-precise in Triangle of Sadness, and I was so excited to see a new South African talent on the international scene. My thoughts are with all her loved ones and collaborators."

Truly saddened by the news of Charlbi Dean’s sudden passing. It has been a gift to bear witness to her incredible talent in TRIANGLE OF SADNESS among many others. pic.twitter.com/0B4fmQmpiI
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 30, 2022

Charlbi Dean's Acting, Modeling Journey

Dean officially started her modeling journey when she was 6. At the age of 12, she signed with Alfa Model Management and began appearing in several materials like commercials, catalogs, and magazine covers.

She dropped out of high school when she was 14 to focus on her modeling career since the other students started calling her "walking, talking toothpick" because of her extremely skinny physique.

But it led her to land several notable deals and contracts, including Guess, Vogue, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and United Colors of Bennetton.

As an actress, she debuted in the South African film "Spud" in 2010. She was also tapped to reappear in its sequel in 2013, titled "Spud 2: The Madness Continues."

From there, she appeared in more projects including "Blood in the Water," "Don't Sleep," "An Interview With God," and "Porthole."

She also became part of the DC Comics series "Black Lightning" on The CW and played the role of Syonide, an assassin, in its nine episodes.

Dean waited for years before landing on her biggest break, "Triangle of Sadness." The Ruben Ostlund-directed comedy featured Harris Dickinson, Woody Harrelson, Iris Berben, Henrik Dorsin, Amanda Walker, Jean-Christophe Folly, Oliver Ford, Dolly de Leon, Sunnyi Melles, and Zlatko Buric, among others.

The movie made noise at the Cannes Film Festival, and it is set to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival, as well.