The South African actress died at the age of 32 last summer, months after winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
The cause of death of actress Charlbi Dean, who died unexpectedly last August at the age of 32, has been revealed by a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York in statements reported by People magazine.
The South African actress and model, protagonist of the satire The Triangle of Sorrow with which the Swede Ruben Östlund won his second Palme d'Or at the last Cannes Film Festival, died suddenly on August 29. At the time of her death, the cause of death that had cut off what seemed like a promising career in the world of acting was not known.
Charlbi Dean died due to bacterial sepsis, according to what was learned after the autopsy. The sepsis was caused by a complication of the asplenia (absence of the spleen) of the actress, who ten years earlier had undergone a splenectomy operation in which the organ was removed.
This surgery was performed in 2009 when she suffered a serious car accident in Cape Town where she also fractured her back and several ribs. Autoimmune people without a spleen are especially susceptible to infections like the one that ended Dean's life, who was infected with a bacteria of the genus Capnocytophaga, which usually develops in the mouths of humans and pets such as dogs or cats.
"Charlbi's sudden death is a shock and a tragedy," wrote director Ruben Östlund after hearing the news of the actress's death. "It is an honor to have known her and to have worked with her. Charlbi's affection and sensitivity encouraged her colleagues and the entire film crew. The idea that she will not be with us in the future makes me very sad."
The filmmaker concluded her message by expressing her condolences to Dean's family and to her partner, model Luke Volker, who took her to the hospital when she began to feel unwell. Unfortunately, the emergency room doctors could do nothing for her and a few hours later she died in New York.
