HORRIFYING

Cause of Actress Charlbi Dean’s Sudden Death at 32 Revealed

The “Triangle of Sadness” actress had her spleen removed in 2009 after a car accident, making her more susceptible to an infection.

Actress Charlbi Dean’s unexpected death in August was the result of bacterial sepsis stemming from a surgery she had a decade prior, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner told People on Wednesday. The 32-year-old South African actress, known for her role in Triangle of Sadness, had her spleen removed in 2009 after a “very, very bad car accident,” her brother told Rolling Stone after her death. Dean began experiencing “mild” symptoms Aug. 29 before her fiancé, Luke Volker, took her to an emergency room. She died there just hours later. Dean developed her bacterial sepsis after being infected with a bacteria called Capnocytophaga, found in the mouths of humans, as well as cats and dogs. The sepsis “was a complication from asplenia (the absence of a spleen),” a spokesman for the medical examiner told People. Her death has been ruled an accident.