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.
Film industry star Taraja Ramsess, 41, was driving a car full of children when he crashed into a broken-down tractor-trailer on a highway exit in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Halloween night.
Heartbroken family members have confirmed that Taraja’s 13-year-old daughter Sundari, 10-year-old son Kisasi, and eight-week-old daughter Fugibo have all died since the crash.
Taraja and his daughters died in the crash on Tuesday night while son Kisasi was rushed to hospital.
His grandmother confirmed the 10-year-old died of his injuries four days later.
Taraja’s three-year-old daughter Shazia survived and is in the hospital recovering from minor injuries.
Another 15-year-old girl who was in the crash was barely hurt.
Police confirmed that Taraja, 41, was behind the wheel when the car slammed into the trailer, but the cause of the crash remains unclear.
A dedicated athlete, Taraja earned stuntman roles in Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War.
Also among his 78 listed credits on IMDb were dozens of art department roles in films like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Fast & Furious 7.
But outside of his accolades, Taraja is remembered by his mother Akili as a dedicated family man and father of her grandchildren.
“All who knew and met him know how special Taraja was,” she wrote in a heartwrenching post announcing his death.
“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 had a very droll yet wicket sense of humor & could be as cornball corny as can be.”
Akili said all of her son’s best qualities would be seen in Sundari, who was called Sunny by her family.
She shared pictures of Taraja smiling proudly with his children by his side and wrote: “Oh God! I can’t believe they’re gone.”
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay also dedicated a post to the talented stuntman who she described as “regal.”
“He walked like a king. And to me, always acted like one,” she wrote on Instagram.
“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.
“From there – 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 here as he journeys on.”
Taraja’s cousin Pharaoh Hardee recounted the moment the future superstar stuntman found 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.
A child of a painter and photographer, creativity was in Taraja’s blood, but it wasn’t until these shared moments that art started to take root.
“When he saw what I was doing with music videos and things of that nature, he asked me, ‘How did you get into that?'” he told USA Today.
“Being able to see things come into fruition like you do in behind-the-scenes work can really spark something that you didn’t even really know was there if you have any type of artistic passion.”
Despite his artistic accomplishments, Hardee stressed that his most treasured contribution to the world was his children.
Taraja’s training partner and close friend Tony Tucci said he would even bring his kids to hang out at their martial arts gym.
“He was always a family man,” he said.
“They would come and sit and watch him train, and they would jump in and start training too.”
Taraja was an excitable person, and couldn’t stop talking about his involvement in Black Panther when he got cast, according to Tucci.
In the wake of his cousin’s death, Hardee said Taraja’s memory can be honored by making the most of each day.
“Don’t take it [life] for granted. I made sure I told him I loved him when we had a talk on the phone,” he said.
“He told me he loved me too. I don’t have any regret in that sense.
“Don’t take things for granted or people for granted, especially your family.”
A GoFundMe created to raise money for the family has amassed over $80,000 as of Sunday night.
