The Tragic Death Of Black Lightning Actor Charlbi Dean

Hollywood has lost another one of its promising young talents, as Charlbi Dean has died at age 32. According to TMZ, which broke the news, the actor, best known for her work on The CW's "Black Lightning," died unexpectedly on August 29. And while the publication didn't specify exactly what caused the up and coming actor and model's death, a source close to Dean confirmed she died in a New York City hospital. 

Dean, who was born in Cape Town, South Africa, appeared in nine episodes of "Black Lightning" as the character Syonide. During Dean's "Black Lightning" stint, her character acted as an antagonist to the central heroes, using her bulletproof skin and combat skills to gain the upper hand. Prior to that, Dean enjoyed small roles in a variety of shows and films, including "Elementary," "Spud," and "Spud 2: The Madness continues." However, Dean's star power was steadily rising in the months leading up to her death. 

In addition to landing moderate film and TV roles, Charlbi Dean was also a successful model. After first signing with Afta Model Management at 12, she appeared on a slew of magazine covers, including the South African versions of Cosmopolitan, GQ and Venice. Dean eventually made her way to the United States, and in January, she signed with UTA, a top-ranking talent agency, according to Deadline. 

Then in May, the film, "Triangle Of Sadness," which she starred in alongside Woody Harrelson, Harris Dickinson, and Dolly de Leon, premiered at The Cannes Film Festival. The movie, which follows a group of rich people after their yacht sinks, won The Palme D'or — the festival's highest honor, per NPR. Shortly after, Dean took to her Instagram to post about the film's achievements. "Congratulations our family we did it!!! ... Can't believe I had the best year making this during one of the hardest times in my life. Here's some pics of the year in Sweden and Greece during the pandemic. Forever and always our @triangleofsadness family." Unfortunately, Dean passed away just weeks before the October release of "Triangle of Sadness."

As for her personal life, Dean was engaged to fellow model Luke Volker, whose recent Instagram post celebrated Dean's involvement in the film.