'Avengers' stuntman dies in car crash along with two children on Atlanta highway Halloween night
Taraja Ramsess will always be remembered by those who knew him best as a loving brother, a devoted father and a hard-working stuntman.
The “Black Panther” stuntman was killed alongside two of his children in a car crash on Halloween night on an Atlanta highway, according to reporting by local affiliate WSB-TV.
The 41-year-old was making his way back home with his children around 11 p.m. when he crashed into a tractor-trailer that had broken down near an exit on the left-hand side of the highway.
Ramsess and his daughters, Sundari, 13, and 1-month-old Fugibo were killed instantly after the car crashed into the truck.
The other children Kisasi, 10; Shazia, 3; and a third child are still recovering. The cause of the crash is under investigation, police shared with the affiliate.
“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 had 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! We are grieving and remain prayerful for my grandchildren’s recovery,” his mother Akili Ramsesss wrote on Facebook.
The 'Avengers' stuntman had interest in movies at an early age
Ramsess didn’t really begin to flex the artistic gene in DNA he inherited from his parents, a photographer and a painter, until he moved to Atlanta with his family when he was in high school, his cousin Pharaoh Hardee shared with USA Today.
It was actually Hardee who introduced his “little brother” to the world of television and movies by introducing him to colleagues in the industry and bringing him to shoots. A lot of the shoots back in those days were for music videos, Hardee said.
“When he saw what I was doing with music videos and things of that nature, he asked me, ‘How did you get into that?’”
"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," Hardee shared.
Ramsess has received 94 credits across the art, stunt, acting and production departments in television shows and movies since 2009, including “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: End Game” and “Avengers: Infinity War," according to IMDB.
The only thing that could ever match his love for filmmaking was the love Ramsess had for his family.
Close friend and training partner Tony Tucci of X3 Sports recalls Ramsess bringing his children to his martial arts classes.
“He was always a family man. They would come and sit and watch him train, and they would jump in and start training too,” Tucci shared with the affiliate.
All of the skills he learned over the years, including martial arts, were used in his work as a stuntman.
“He was always sharing his experiences, happy and glad to be part of that community,” Tucci said. “During the screening of Black Panther, he couldn’t stop talking about it. He was so happy to be a part of it."
When he wasn’t working on his craft, Ramsess was with his kids. Hardee always joked with Ramsess about the size of his family, stating that he had just enough members for a basketball team.
“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,” Hardee said.
Ramsess was everything a parent should be, an extension of love to his children, Hardee added. “I’ve had close people and loved ones die, so I’m just thinking about the children,” he shared with the affiliate.
Family and friends encourage others to 'chase your dreams'
Hardee wants to encourage others to continue to purse their dreams without fear because you never know how much time you are going to get, just like Ramsess was in almost every aspect of his life.
There’s not enough time for regret, Hardee shared.
“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 told me he loved me too. I don’t have any regret in that sense. ‘Oh, man. I wish I would have called him more’ because I called him randomly just to check-in. Don’t take things for granted or people for granted, especially your family,” Hardee said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses, collecting $51, 213 as of Friday.
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