Carla Jeffery Cause of Death: How Did The Disney Star Die?

Carla Jeffery, who was best known as the actress who played Bree in the Zombies series on the Disney Channel, died on September 1 at the age of 33.

While  the cause of her death has not yet been given, she has previously disclosed medical issues that can be fatal. 

Carla Alexander, Jeffery's long-time manager, announced his death in a statement posted on social media on September 2. She stated that Jeffery had been with Alexanders Talent Management since she was twelve and referred to her as more than a client, calling her "family".

No further details have been given regarding the circumstances of Jeffery’s death. 

Carla struggled with epilepsy

According to the Los Angeles Times, Jeffery did in fact have a recorded history of epilepsy, a condition which she had previously discussed in public years before her death. 

Since her death, this medical history has attracted attention, but at present there is no evidence that epilepsy or a seizure had anything to do with what occurred.

In a 2022 article for the Epilepsy Foundation, Jeffery stated that she started to have seizures at the age of 18; at first she kept the diagnosis secret because she was afraid it might have an impact on her acting career and was concerned about having a seizure while on set.

Jeffery later admitted that she had a seizure while filming Zombies and awoke in an ambulance. The event played a part in persuading her to speak out about epilepsy and to urge other people with the condition not to let it define them.

Jeffery was included in the Epilepsy Foundation's quarterly publication for fall 2022 as she first made her epilepsy journey public. She then used her position to talk about living with the neurological disorder and to promote discussions regarding disabilities.

In some instances, epilepsy can pose serious health risks; one known complication is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, a risk associated with seizures. Yet no statement has been made by Jeffery’s family, the management, her doctors or the authorities saying that SUDEP, epilepsy or any other particular medical condition was the cause of her death.

Jeffery was also seen taking an active part in public events in the weeks leading up to her death. The last photo she posted on Instagram was shared at the end of July and showed pictures and videos from the birthday party of Zombies co-star Meg Donnelly. 

Nothing in that post was reported publicly to suggest that Jeffery was going through a medical emergency.

Jeffery was born on July 10, 1993, in Houston and started acting when he was a child, with a role in Phat Girlz before going on to appear in a number of programmes such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, iCarly, Southland, Good Luck Charlie and Shake It Up.

The role which was most significant for her was that of Bree the cheerleader in Zombies, a part which she played again in Zombies 2 and Zombies 3 and then voiced in Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.

At this stage, it is not known how Carla Jeffery died, and so long as her family, representatives or the authorities do not give out any additional information, any link between her death and epilepsy will remain speculative.