Lupine star Adama Niane dies aged 56 as co-star Omar Sy pays tribute to ‘man of rare kindness’
Adama Niane has died at the age of 56.
The French actor was best known for starring in the Netflix hit Lupin, which became an international hit upon its release in 2021.
His cause of death has not been confirmed.
Sad news: Adama Niane has passed away at the age of 56. The French actor was best known for starring in the Netflix hit Lupin, which became an international hit when it launched in 2021
Adama’s Lupine co-star Omar Sy paid tribute to the star on Twitter, describing the actor as a “man of rare goodwill.”
He wrote: “I send my deepest condolences to the family of Adama Niane, a wonderful actor with whom I had the opportunity and pleasure to act.
“A man of rare goodness… May his soul rest in peace.”
Film director Olivier Abbou also paid tribute to the star, describing him as a “hero”.
He wrote: “It is with great sadness that I learn of the death of Adam Niane, with whom I had the pleasure of working on both seasons of Maroni and Fury.
“We haven’t parted for 4 years, sharing intense human and artistic adventures at the end of the world, in Guyana, St. Pierre and Miquelon and even in Lille.
“He was engaged, enlightened, whole, talented, powerful. He was my hero, friend and accomplice. Go in peace.’
Adama is best known for his role as assassin and ex-convict Leonard Kone in Lupin, based on the novels by Frenchman Maurice LeBlanc, who created the character in 1905.
Lupine was the first French series to make Netflix’s top 10 list, ranking #1 in countries like Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland, to name a few.
The drama stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop – someone who lives his life inspired by the thief Arsène Lupine from the LeBlanc novels.
The concept has been developed for various other film and television formats over the years, including an animated series.
Assane was the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who was accused of stealing a diamond necklace from his employer Hubert Pellegrini (Herve Pierre) and sent to prison, where he committed suicide out of shame, leaving Lupine an orphan.