ATLANTA — Police are continuing their investigation of an Oct. 31 crash that killed actor and stuntman Taraja Ramsess and three of his children
The 41-year-old was driving his Ford F-150 with his five children on board — his daughter Sundari, 13, son Kisasi, 10, and three younger daughters — after a night of trick-or-treating.
At around 11 p.m., Ramsess, for unknown reasons, slammed his truck into a tractor-trailer that had broken down in the left lane of Interstate 285 in Dekalb County, Georgia, according to police.
When authorities and first responders arrived at the scene, they determined that Ramsess, Sundari and his newborn daughter, Fugibo, were killed instantly.
His son, Kisasi, and his two younger daughters were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Kisasi succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 5 after being taken off of life support. The 3-year-old daughter is currently still hospitalized but is labeled in critical but stable condition.
Information about their deaths was confirmed by Ramsess’s mother, Akili Ramsess, in an Instagram post. She also announced the survival of two of her granddaughters. A GoFundMe has been created on behalf of Ramsess’s mother, who now has to raise her granddaughters. It has amassed over $80,000.
The fundraiser said of the 10-year-old: “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.”
Ramsess was a professional stuntman who worked on over 40 projects, including “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Endgame,” Avengers: Infinity War,” “The Suicide Squad” and “Creed III,” among others.
Several celebrities paid tribute to Ramsess and his work in Hollywood.
“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 in her Instagram tribute post. “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,” his mother, Akili Ramsess, said in the Instagram post. “He (has) 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!”
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 the gym with him. 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 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.
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