Dorothy Steel, 'Black Panther' Actress, Dead at 95

One of the stars of Ryan Coogler's box office smash Black Panther has died. Dorothy Steel, an actress who got her start in the industry in the late 1980s, died on the morning of Friday, Oct. 15 at her Detroit-area home. She was 95-years-old and starred in the film as a tribal elder. The announcement regarding her death was made by Steel's agent, Cindy Butler. Butler made the announcement on her Facebook page, writing: "It's with a heavy heart I announce this morning Dorothy Steel transitioned this morning in her hometown of Detroit. That is what she want wanted...to be home."

Butler then reflected on Steel's work and their time together, adding, "Thank you Ms. Dorothy for giving me the opportunity to ride this wave with you. Thank you for all the Casting Directors who hired Ms. Dorothy. THank you to the world for loving on her from afar. I received calls from all over the world wanting to interview or do a Bio pic of her life. She was very select."

In addition to Black Panther, Steel's credits include the Hallmark's channel original movie Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses, as well as Jumanji: The Next Level.

Butler's ended her statement writing, "Per Ms. Dorothy, she told me to tell everyone that arrangements and flowers where to send will be posted via facebook. She was still telling me what to do. That was my Ms.Dorothy.............WAKANDAFOREVER."

Whether or not Steel was going to participate in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is unclear. This is the second loss the film has suffered within the past year. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman died in 2020 after a battle with colon cancer. There are plans to honor Boseman in the sequel film. There has been no word on whether or not the same will be done for Steel.