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Dorothy Steel, an actress who appeared as a tribal elder inBlack Panther, has died at the age of 95.
Steel died on Friday morning at her home in Detroit, her agent, Cindy Butler of iSubmit Talent, confirms to PEOPLE. A cause of death was not given.
Prior to her death, Steel was in the middle of filmingBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever— the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 superhero flick thatstarted production in Atlantathis June — and was flown back to Detroit to be with her family, Butler says.
“She went out strong,” the spokesperson said.
Steel’s role as an elder of the Merchant Tribe inBlack Pantherwas her feature film debut.
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During a 2018 appearance onSteve Harvey, Steel said she was initially hesitant to appear in a “comic strip at my age,” but ended up auditioning for the part at the urging of her grandson.
“He said, ‘Grandma, you always talk about stepping out onto nothing, letting your faith take you there. Now how come you don’t do it yourself,’ " she recalled. “He said, ‘Either you’re gonna step out there or you’re gonna shut up.’ "
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Reflecting on the experience, Steel said it “makes me feel really good to be a part of something … Black,” adding, “Wakanda forever.”
source: people.com
