Carla Jeffery: Her Rise to Fame, Family Life and Sudden Death at 33 & What Happened to the Actress
Carla Jeffery, the actress best known for playing Bree, the spirited cheerleader in Disney Channel’s Zombies movie musical franchise, died on September 1, 2026, at 33.
Her death was announced by Alexanders Talent Management on her official Instagram, though a cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, and her family has asked for privacy.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Carla Jeffery,” the agency’s statement read.
“Carla joined the Alexanders Talent Management family at the age of 12. For more than 20 years, we had the privilege of watching her grow into a beautiful, vibrant, and incredibly talented woman whose radiant smile could light up any room…
Carla was more than a client; she was family.” Jeffery was born July 10, 1993, in Houston, Texas.
Her career began remarkably young — her first film role came at around age 12 or 13, playing a younger version of Mo’Nique’s character in the 2006 comedy Phat Girlz.
From there, she built a steady, wide-ranging résumé across television, appearing in iCarly, Curb Your Enthusiasm (as Keysha Black), Southland, Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up, Best Friends Whenever, Suburgatory, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and American Vandal, among many others.
Her defining role came with Zombies, which premiered on Disney Channel in 2018. Jeffery played Bree, a cheerleader and close friend to lead character Addison, across the original film and its sequels, Zombies 2 (2020) and Zombies 3 (2022), as well as Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.
The musical franchise gave her opportunities beyond acting as well — she was credited as a vocal performer on several soundtrack songs across the filMs. She later returned to the character in animated form, voicing Bree in the spinoff series Zombies: The Re-Animated Series, and also lent her voice to the Marvel animated series Spider-Man: Maximum Venom.
Off-screen, she reportedly maintained a longtime connection to competitive cheerleading, having participated in a squad as a child in Cincinnati — an unexpected real-life parallel to the role that made her widely recognizable.
Tributes from her Zombies co-stars arrived quickly and emotionally. Milo Manheim, who starred opposite her in the franchise, wrote on Instagram: “Carla.
The sweetest person I have ever met. I love you,” later adding, “Carlaboo. The sweetest, kindest, most loving person…
Thank you for spreading so much joy.” Chandler Kinney, who appeared with her in Zombies 2 and 3, wrote that she was “the brightest shining light in any room she walked into.
The kindest person you’d ever meet. The most beautiful soul. This doesn’t feel real.” Jeffery’s career reflected an unusually broad range for a performer often associated with a single franchise — moving comfortably between Disney family programming, adult comedy, police procedurals, and animated voice work over roughly two decades in the industry, with credits appearing as recently as 2025.
She is remembered, by those who worked alongside her, as much for her warmth and generosity as for the character that introduced her to an entire generation of young viewers.
