Charlbi Dean, Triangle of Sadness actress, dies at 32

Actress and model Charlbi Dean, best known for her roles in the DC superhero series Black Lightning and the Palme d'Or-winning film Triangle of Sadness, died Monday from a sudden illness. She was 32.

Details of Dean's illness remain unknown at this time, but EW can confirm the South African star died at a hospital in New York, as first reported by TMZ.

The up-and-coming actress made her film debut in the 2010 film Spud, a comedy starring musician Troye Sivan as a first-year student attending an elite private boarding school set against the backdrop of apartheid's impending collapse in South Africa.

Dominique Charriau/WireImage Charlbi Dean

Dean reprised her role in 2013's Spud 2 before appearing in Blood in the Water (2016), Don't Sleep (2017), An Interview With God (2018), and Porthole (2018). She also appeared in TV, starring in CBS' Elementary for one episode and portraying Syonide in the CW's Black Lightning series, which concluded last May after four seasons.

Most recently, the actress starred in Triangle of Sadness, director Ruben Östlund's satire about a group of wealthy passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship who find themselves trapped on an island after the mega-yacht sinks. Her final film role, Dean played influencer Yaya, one half of a fashion model celebrity couple stranded.

Woody Harrelson, Harris Dickinson, and Dolly De Leon also star in the film, which will hit theaters Oct. 7. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 75th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Dean celebrated the win on Instagram, heralding Östlund as "the GOAT." She wrote, "I'm forever thankful for you for trusting me to be a part of your genius. . . Can't believe I had the best year making this during one of the hardest times in my life."

Update: A day after Dean's death, Östlund mourned the loss on Instagram. "Charlbi's sudden passing is a shock and a tragedy," he wrote. "It is an honor to have gotten to know and work with her. Charlbi had a care and sensitivity that lifted her colleagues and the entire film crew. The thought that she will not be by our side in the future makes me very sad. At this difficult time, my thoughts go out to her loved ones, her family and her fiance Luke."

Triangle of Sadness is also a selection of this year's Toronto Film Festival and New York Film Festival.

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