Katherine Chappell, a 29-year-old visual effects editor who worked on Game of Thrones and Captain America: Winter Soldier, died in a lion attack during a safari in South Africa.
She was killed at The Lion Park, Johannesburg, when travelling through the park’s terrain in a car. She was attacked and killed by the lioness when it jumped through her window, leaving one other passenger hospitalised with serious injuries.
Johannesburg’s Lion Park employed Scott Simpson claimed that park rules forbid visitors from rolling the windows down. Chappell’s driver Pierre Potgieter was injured while trying to pull her away and suffered a heart attack.
The VFX editor also worked on Godzilla and Into the Heart of the Sea. Chappell’s sister Jennifer posted a tribute to her on her Facebook page: “brilliant, kin, adventurous and high-spirited woman,” adding, “Her energy and passion could not be contained by mere continents or oceans. She was very much loved and shared her love for life with those she met.”
The young editor had been living in the Canadian city of Vancouver since 2013. She also worked on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) and Godzilla (2014). Katherine’s identity wasn’t revealed until Wednesday; a memorial service will be held in her honor in Rye, New York, on Saturday.
