Carla Jeffery, the actress best known for playing cheerleader Bree in Disney Channel’s “Zombies” movies, has died at 33. Her talent agency, Alexanders Talent Management, confirmed the death in a statement posted to her Instagram account, and no cause of death has been made public. Jeffery died on September 1. The agency’s statement did not give a date.
“Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our beloved Carla Jeffery,” the agency’s statement said, adding that she had been part of Alexanders Talent Management for more than 20 years. It closed by asking that the family’s privacy be respected. Her agent described her as “a beautiful, vibrant and incredibly talented woman whose radiant smile could light up any room.”
Her career
Jeffery played Bree, an aspiring cheerleader and best friend of the lead character, in “Zombies” (2018), “Zombies 2” (2020) and “Zombies 3” (2022). Earlier in her career, she had a recurring role on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing a member of the Blacks, the family Larry David takes in after Hurricane Katrina. She also took guest roles on “iCarly,” “Good Luck Charlie” and “Shake It Up” as a child actress before landing the part that made her known to a wider audience.
Tributes
Tributes came from the co-stars who worked beside her. Milo Manheim, who played Zed opposite her in the “Zombies” films, wrote: “Carla. The sweetest person I have ever met. I love you.” Chandler Kinney, who played Willa, called her “the brightest shining light in any room she walked into … the kindest person you’d ever meet.” Disney Entertainment Television also issued a statement praising her “extraordinary talent, warmth and spirit.”
Jeffery’s twin brother, Carlon Jeffery, an actor known for Disney Channel’s “A.N.T. Farm,” reposted the agency’s statement following the announcement.
No official has described the circumstances of her death, and Alexanders Talent Management’s statement did not address them.