UPDATE 4/25/19 9:57pm EST: Stefanie Sherk’s death was ruled a “suicide” according to the Los Angeles County’s coroner’s report, obtained by HollywoodLife. Her cause of death was asphyxia, drowning and anoxic encephalopathy (loss of oxygen to the brain).
ORIGINAL: “On behalf of the Sherk and the Bichir Nájera families, it is with inconceivable pain that I announce that on April 20, 2019, our dearest Stefanie Sherk, my beloved and loving wife, passed away peacefully,” Demian Bichir, 55, said on Instagram on April 24. The A Better Life star said losing his wife has been “the saddest and toughest time of our lives and we don’t know how much time it will take for us to overcome this pain. Stefanie’s beautiful, angelical and talented presence will be immensely missed. We will hold Stefanie in our hearts forever. … It is our sincerest hope that our beautiful Stefanie, my angel, and love of my life, will rest in eternal peace.” As Stefanie’s family, friends, and fans mourn this heartbreaking loss, here’s what you need to know about this young actress.
1. She was Canadian. Stefanie was born in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an honors bachelor’s degree in history, according to her IMBD profile (h/t Fox News.) Following her graduation, Stefanie pursued her passion for acting. She attended the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City where she developed her skills on the stage.
2. Stefanie and Demian began dating in 2010. It’s unclear when Demian and Stefanie tied the knot, but numerous outlets report that they began dating in 2011. “I have a fantastic romance ever since I met my girl,” he told the Miami Herald in 2014. When asked if he wanted to marry her, he said, “You have to go day-by-day. You love who you love every day, and you expect that to last forever. But you also have to be truthful when things are not right. And that’s when instead of having 14 kids everywhere and 18 marriages you need to be smart and truthful and fair to the people you love. If you’re lucky enough to go to the next level, then that’s beautiful, too.”
3. She appeared in her husband’s directorial debut… Stefanie and Demian mixed business with pleasure when they starred together in 2016’s Un Cuento de Circo & A Love Song, written and directed by Demian. “Refugio, a romantic dreamer whose years-long quest to find true love takes him from the circus life in Mexico to the nightlife of New Orleans, where he unexpectedly falls for a beautiful exotic dancer with a complicated past and a dangerous ex-lover who refuses to let her go,” reads the IMDB listing for the movie.
4. …and appeared in a handful of movies and television shows. In addition to Demian’s directorial debut, Stefanie appeared in television shows like 2015’s #Hashtag: The Series, CSI: Cyber, Telenovela, and on Demian’s 2014 series, The Bridge. She also appeared in films like Star Power, Loco Love and Valentine’s Day.
5. Stefanie’s last movie will come out next year. Stefanie’s final role is that of a therapist in the upcoming horror movie, Grudge. The film, starring William Sadler, John Cho, and her husband, Demian Bichir, is about “A house [that’s] cursed by a vengeful ghost…dooms those who enter it with a violent death.” It’s slated for a 2020 release.