A STUNTMAN known for his work in Black Panther and The Avengers has died in a car crash that also killed three of his children, including a newborn daughter.
Movie star Taraja Ramsess, 41, was driving a car full of children when he collided with a stalled tractor-trailer on a highway exit in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Halloween night.
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Black Panther stuntman Taraja Ramsess, 41, and three of his children died after a horrific car crash on Halloween nightCredit: Instagram/ava
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His newborn daughter Fugibo was among those killed. Photo credit: Instagram/Eyeakili
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Taraja passed on all his best qualities to daughter Sundari (pictured), who was affectionately called Sunny, said her grandmother AkiliCredit: instagram/eyeakili
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Taraja’s son (pictured) was on life support in hospital before dying from his injuries on Saturday. Photo credit: Instagram/Eyeakili
Heartbroken family members have confirmed that Taraja’s 13-year-old daughter Sundari, her 10-year-old son Kisasi and her eight-week-old daughter Fugibo have died since the crash.
Taraja and his daughters died in the accident on Tuesday evening while son Kisasi was rushed to hospital.
His grandmother confirmed that the 10-year-old died from his injuries four days later.
Taraja’s three-year-old daughter Shazia survived and is recovering in hospital from minor injuries.
Another 15-year-old girl involved in the accident was barely injured.
Police confirmed that 41-year-old Taraja was behind the wheel when the car crashed into the trailer, but the cause of the accident remains unclear.
A dedicated athlete, Taraja landed stuntman roles in “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
His 78 credits listed on IMDb also included dozens of art department roles in films like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Fast & Furious 7.
But aside from his accolades, Taraja is remembered by his mother Akili as a dedicated family man and father to her grandchildren.
“Everyone who knew and met him knows how special Taraja was,” she wrote in a heartbreaking post announcing his death.
“He had a deep capacity for love and loved his children more than anything.
“He loved his martial arts, motorcycles and anything related to filmmaking.
“He had a very quirky yet crazy sense of humor and could be as corny as can be.”
Akili said her son’s best qualities would be evident in Sundari, who was called Sunny by her family.
Sharing pictures of Taraja smiling proudly with his children by his side, she wrote: “Oh God! I can’t believe they’re gone.”
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay also dedicated a post to the talented stuntman, whom she described as “royal.”
“He walked like a king. And to me he always acted like one,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Taraja was the first to say yes. Yes, I’m going to do my actual job and then jump into this wild scene where I play a tough guy with a gun for you.”
“From then on, everyone else said yes too. He was that kind of person.”
“Bless his soul. Bless his memory. Bless his loved ones and the many comrades he leaves behind on his journey.”
“ARTISTIC PASSION”
Taraja’s cousin Pharaoh Hardee opened up about the moment the future superstar stuntman discovered his passion for film and entertainment.
He said his “little brother” moved to Atlanta as a young boy and started helping Hardee produce music videos.
As the child of a painter and photographer, creativity was in Taraja’s blood, but it was only in these shared moments that art began to take hold.
“When he saw what I was doing with music videos and things like that, he asked me, ‘How did you get into this?’” he told USA Today.
“The opportunity to see things come to fruition, like you do when working behind the scenes, can really spark something you didn’t even really know was there if you have any kind of artistic passion.”
Despite his artistic achievements, Hardee emphasized that his most valuable contribution to the world is his children.
Taraja’s training partner and close friend Tony Tucci said he would even take his kids to hang out at her martial arts studio.
“He was always a family man,” he said.
“They came, sat down and watched him train, and they also jumped in and started training.”
According to Tucci, Taraja was an excited person and couldn’t stop talking about his involvement in Black Panther when he got the role.
After his cousin’s death, Hardee said Taraja’s memory could be honored by making the most of every day.
“Don’t take it [life] of course. “I made sure to tell him I loved him when we spoke on the phone,” he said.
“He told me he loved me too. In that sense, I have no regrets.”
“Don’t take things and people for granted, especially your family.”
A GoFundMe set up to raise money for the family has raised over $80,000 as of Sunday evening.
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Taraja can be seen center right in Black Panther. Photo credit: Marvel
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The cause of the car accident remains unclear. Photo credit: Fox 5
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Taraja was driving a call full of children, including son Kisasi (pictured), when he crashed into a semi-truck. Photo credit: Instagram/Eyeakili
Source : www.the-sun.com