‘Black Panther’ Actress Dead: Connie Chiume Was 72

The South African actress also starred in Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King.’

Connie Chiume, a South African actress who starred opposite the late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther and its 2022 follow-up Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has died. Chiume passed away at the Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday, Aug. 6, her family announced on Instagram. She was 72.

Chiume’s cause of death was not disclosed, but her son, Nongelo Chiume, told South African news network Newzroom Afrika that his mother was admitted to the hospital for a “medical procedure” before her death. He said the family wants the actress to “be remembered as someone who was selfless and someone who always wanted to see the next person doing great with their God-given talent.”

Born on June 5, 1952, in Welkom, South Africa, per The Independent, Chiume trained as a nurse and graduated with a teaching degree in 1976 before breaking into the entertainment industry the following year when she moved to Greece and joined the cast of the musical Sola Sola. More than a decade later, her stardom soared when she appeared as Thembi in the South African series Inkom’ Edla Yodwa in 1989, a role she followed with a starring appearance as Mamokete Khuse in the South African soap opera Rhythm City. She won the NTVA Avanti Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Soul City in 2000 and the SAFTA for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role as Stella Moloi in the family drama Zone 14 in 2009.

Chiume was also well-known for her starring role as Zawavari, a Mining Tribe Elder, in Marvel’s 2018 Oscar-winning film Black Panther. She reprised the role in the 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which her character took over as Wakanda’s Elder Statesman from Zuri (Forest Whitaker).

“I went to an audition not knowing what I was auditioning for,” she told South Africa’s Sunday Times in 2022 of the movies. “I went there and I was given a piece that I was supposed to do. I could see that this person is an African who was addressing the nation. I wore my African regalia, I learnt my lines. I did my best.”

In 2020, Chiume appeared in Beyoncé’s 2020 musical film Black Is King, portraying Simba’s mother, Sarabi, in the visual companion to The Lion King remake. Her other credits include Warriors from Hell, The Line, I Dreamed of Africa, Yizo yizo, Home Affairs, Blessers, Umama, and Jewel. Her final acting credit, per her IMDb profile, was as Thandiwe Makeba in 2024’s Heart of the Hunter.

Chiume is survived her four children. Paying tribute to her online, the South African government wrote, “Our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of multi-award winning and legendary actress Connie Chiume. Her outstanding work will always be remembered.”