The charges relating to Charlbi Dean's unexpected death are being refuted by the actress' family. Alex Jacobs, the brother of the late Black Lightning actress, dispelled accusations that his sister's passing was related to the COVID-19 immunisations on social media.
"That is completely out of the question, from our point of view," he shared in an interview with Rolling Stone on Aug. 31. "That's not the first bandwagon you need to jump on. I think that's completely ridiculous and extremely naïve."
Jacobs, 21, claimed Dean passed away shortly after arriving at the emergency room while she was visiting New York with her fiance, Luke Volker. Volker accompanied Dean to the emergency room after she complained of some "minor" symptoms, according to Jacobs.
"This happened literally within the span of a day," Jacobs noted, "getting a headache, going to sleep, waking up her boyfriend and saying, ‘Please take me to the hospital.'"
Although Jacobs acknowledged that the family is still unsure of what happened, he added that they are awaiting Dean's official autopsy reports and that they "heard there was a viral infection in her lungs." He said that Dean's need to have her spleen removed after a 2009 vehicle accident may have contributed to her infection-related death.
"They removed her spleen," Jacobs told Rolling Stone. "It's involved in fighting off infections, and that could have had something to do with what happened. Her spleen not being there just added to the reason why she perhaps couldn't fight it off."
An agent for the South African actor confirmed to NBC News that Dean passed away on August 29 at 32, following "an unexpected abrupt illness." The family of the Elementary actress wants her to be remembered as the kindhearted person she was, even as they struggle to cope with this tragic loss.
"She was extremely caring and extremely loving, more than anyone I could have ever known," Jacobs told Rolling Stone. "She reminded us every day how much she loved us. She spoke to my mom every single day of her life. If the call ended, she'd call her back immediately and say I didn't get to say goodbye to you."
He added, "This is quite shocking for us right now, having something like that happen. She was really the glue that kept us together."
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