Busi Lurayi died Sunday, July 10. The actress who starred in a variety of TV series was announced to have passed away in a statement, shared by her agency on Instagram. Eye Media Artists said that no cause of death has been determined yet. “We are deeply saddened to notify you of the passing of our beloved Busisiwe Lurayi. Busisiwe passed away suddenly and was pronounced dead at her residence on Sunday [July 10] by medical personnel. The reason for her death is still unknown as we await the results of the autopsy report. We humbly request that you allow us as the family to come to terms with this tragic news. We thank you for the support that has been given so far and will provide further information as soon as it has been made available,” they wrote. Find out everything you need to know about Busi here.
1. Busi was from South Africa
While Busi has gained international recognition with her appearances on TV shows across the globe (especially appearances on Netflix), she was born and raised in South Africa. Many of her acting appearances were based out of her home country.
2. She began her acting career in 2005
While Busi had a number of critically-acclaimed successes more recently, her acting career spanned over 15 years. Her first credited appearance was on the 2005 TV series City Ses’la, per IMDb. Some of her other notable roles included playing Thandi on the short-lived series Wild At Heart. She also appeared on the shows Sokhulu and Partners II, S.I.E.S., Ses’ Top La, and Vutha.
3. She’s most well-known for starring in ‘How To Ruin Christmas’
While she’s appeared in a variety of shows and movies, Busi’s largest acting role was the 2020 Netflix film How To Ruin Christmas, where she played the lead role of Tumi Sello. As the “free-spirited” Tumi “always manages to make a mess of things,” as Netflix put it in the show’s description. The series has two seasons, one focusing on a wedding and another focusing on a funeral. Netflix South Africa announced that a third season was in production in an Instagram post on June 15. It’s not clear if Busi’s death will affect the production.
4. She appeared in an episode of ‘E.R.’
While Busi starred in a number of programs in her home country, for viewers in the United States, she had a one-off appearance on E.R. in 2006. She appeared in the episode “There Are No Angels Here,” where she played Sittina. The E.R. guest role was the only U.S. based role that Busi had.
5. She has a daughter
Besides being an actress, Busi was a loving mother to a daughter, per News 24. She regularly doted on her little girl, and she posted plenty of photos with her daughter on her social media. Busi’s last three photos on her Instagram were sweet pictures with her daughter.