Triangle of Sadness star Charlbi Dean's cause of death confirmed
The cause of death for Charlbi Dean, the actress and model from the Palme d'Or-winning film Triangle of Sadness who died at age 32, has been confirmed by a New York City medical examiner.
Born Charlbi Dean Kriek, the South African talent died in August due to an unexpected and sudden illness, though the specific cause was not disclosed at the time. A spokesperson for the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner has since determined she died of bacterial sepsis.
The sepsis "was a complication from asplenia" (the absence of a spleen) due to "remote blunt trauma to her torso," the spokesperson told EW sister site PEOPLE.
Dean's bacterial sepsis was caused after she became infected by a bacteria known as Capnocytophaga, various types of which live in the mouths of dogs and cats. It is unclear whether close contact with an animal caused Dean's infection. Capnocytophaga does not harm dogs and cats, and most people in close proximity to those animals do not get sick, according to the CDC.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Actress and model Charlbi Dean, known for her role in 'Triangle of Sadness'
People with weakened immune systems or those without spleens are more susceptible. Dean had her spleen removed sometime around 2009 as a result of a "very, very bad car accident," according to Dean's brother, Alex Jacobs.
Dean's death has been ruled an accident. The medical examiner has not made their full autopsy public.
Jacobs told Rolling Stone in September this all started after the actress complained of "minor" symptoms. Soon after, she asked her fiancé, Luke Volker, to take her to the emergency room.
"This happened literally within the span of a day: getting a headache, going to sleep, waking up her boyfriend, and saying please take me to the hospital," Jacobs said. "We still aren't entirely sure [what happened]," he added. "There's an autopsy being done which we know might take quite a while. But what we have heard [is that] there was a viral infection in her lungs."
Dean made her film debut in 2010's Stud, which starred Troye Sivan. She has since appeared in the movies Don't Sleep (2017) and An Interview With God (2018), as well as TV series like Elementary and Black Lightning.
She most recently appeared in Triangle of Sadness, which won the coveted Palme d'Or award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The movie was released in October.
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