A stuntman who worked on Marvel movies such as 'Black Panther' and 'Avengers' and his three children was killed in a horror crash. Taraja Ramsess, 41, his 13-year-old daughter, Sundari Ramsess, 10-year-old son, Kisasi Ramsess, and newborn daughter, Fugibo Ramsess, died in a car crash along the exit ramp on Interstate 20 in Dekalb County, Georgia.
His mother, Akili Ramsess, confirmed the death of Ramsess and his daughters in an Instagram post. She also mentioned that two of Ramsess' daughters survived the crash, with his three-year-old being hospitalized. She initially shared that his 10-year-old son, Kisasi, was on life support, but later posted an update announcing his death as well.
Killed on the Highway
Ramsess was driving a pickup truck filled with children on Halloween night when it collided with a tractor-trailer. The collision resulted in the immediate deaths of Ramsess, the 13-year-old, and the newborn, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Following the crash, Ramsess's 10-year-old son, Kisasi, and a 3-year-old girl were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Kisasi succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. Authorities mentioned that the girl remains in serious but stable condition.
As per the initial investigation, Ramsess was driving a Ford F-150 and took an exit ramp where a tractor-trailer was stalled in the left lane, resulting in a collision between the vehicles.
Ramsess worked in the film industry and did stunts in movies such as Marvel's 'Black Panther', 'Avengers: Infinity War', and 'Avengers: Endgame', as listed on IMDb.
He also worked in the art department, frequently serving as a set dresser, and contributed to over 43 projects, including 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.'
Tributes have been pouring in memory of the esteemed performer and his family ever since news of his death broke. A GoFundMe page set up on behalf of his mother has amassed $81,359 in support thus far.
"Kisasi - or 'Sauce the Boss' - brought so much joy to the lives of so many. [He] was surrounded by loving family members every moment he spent in the hospital,' the GoFundMe said of the 10-year-old.
Ramsess's mother, Akili Ramsess posted on Instagram: 'All who knew and met him know how special Taraja was. He had a deep capacity for love and loved his children more than all. He loved his martial arts, motorcycles and all things related to filmmaking."
"He a very droll yet wicked sense of humor & yet could be as cornball corny as can be. Sundari, Sunny as she was called, also reflected that special light. Funny & loved to dance. Oh God! I can't believe they're gone!"
Industry Mourns Death
Several celebrities also paid tribute to Ramsess. "He walked like a king. And to me, always acted like one. He was a part of our crew family at ARRAY. He left us last night forever in a way that makes the hearts of all who knew him break into a million pieces," filmmaker Ave DuVernay wrote on Instagram.
"We'd talk about art and his family. My goodness, did he love his children. I remember one day on set, we didn't have enough Black background actors for a key scene. I had to recruit my crew members to be on-camera."
"Taraja was the first to say yes. Yes, I'll do my real job and then jump into this wild scene playing a tough guy with a gun for you," DuVernay said.
"He was just an amazing person. We have a great loss to this world. It makes you reflect and gives you a new perspective on everyone you need to call every day. Because you never know when your last words are going to be to someone,' long-time friend and X3 Sports trainer Tony Tucci said to WSB-TV.
"He was always a family man. They would come and sit and watch him train, and they would jump in and start training too."
Ramsess's cousin Pharaoh Hardee told USA Today: "He was very involved and loving with these children. I would FaceTime call him randomly throughout the day and he would be getting the kids ready for school, picking them up or taking them to gym with him."
Ramsess's death marks the second tragic loss for the Black Panther franchise, following the death of star Chadwick Boseman in 2020. Boseman passed away at the age of 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer.
