Actress Charlbi Dean was already successful in her career, but when she was cast in a leading role in a film that went on to win the coveted Palme D’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, her career was set to skyrocket.
Unfortunately, and quite tragically, Dean was never even able to see the award winning film “Triangle of Sadness” hit theaters. She died suddenly and quite surprisingly on August 29, 2022 at a hospital in New York.
Her cause of death was not known at the time. A representative simply called it an “unexpected sudden illness.” Now, four months later, we finally know the cause of death.
TMZ reports that Dean’s official cause of death was Bacterial (Capnocytophaga) Sepsis, or in more simple terms, a bacterial infection.
According to the CDC, capnocytophaga germs live inside the mouths of cats and dogs as well as other animals. While these germs don’t cause animals to get sick, they can cause humans to get sick if the animal bites or scratches the human. It is possible for a scratch or bite to lead to an illness, or even sepsis especially if they have a weak immune system; however, in most cases, humans do not get sick from these germs.
The CDC also explains that sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It is an emergency and can quickly lead to organ failure, tissue damage, and like in Dean’s case, death. Symptoms of sepsis include fever, confusion, pain, sweaty skin, shortness of breath and a high heart rate or weak pulse.
The medical examiner told TMZ that in Dean’s case, she was more susceptible to sepsis because she didn’t have a spleen. In 2009, she was in a car crash that ended up requiring her to have her spleen removed.
Dean was only 32 when she died, and she was clearly a rising star. Here’s a look at the film that could’ve been a huge launching pad for her career.