Two performers died this week, each leaving behind a distinct body of work across very different corners of the entertainment world.
Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy-winning jazz musician, died Wednesday in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was born. She was 70. Hinds County coroner Jeramiah Howard confirmed her death to the New York Times, according to Deadline. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Wilson was born December 4, 1955. Her father was a bassist and guitarist, and her mother was a music teacher. She moved to New York City in the early 1980s to pursue a jazz career, joining saxophonist Steve Coleman's M-Base collective and touring with trio New Air. She was known for covering songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, Robert Johnson, The Monkees, and Hank Williams, and she opened for Miles Davis.
She released her debut solo album, Point of View, in 1986. Her 1995 album New Moon Daughter earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. She won a second Grammy in 2009 for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Loverly.
Also this week, Carla Jeffery died at 33. Her talent agency, Alexander's Talent Management, confirmed the news on Instagram on Wednesday. A cause of death is not currently known.
Jeffery played Bree in the Disney Channel Zombies film series, a musical trilogy about a zombie and a human cheerleader who fall in love. Her character was one of the cheerleaders who befriends the central character, Addison Wells, played by Meg Donnelly. Jeffery later reprised the role as a voice actor in Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.
She also appeared in 10 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm across Seasons 6 and 7, playing the character Keysha Black. Her other credits included iCarly, Southland, Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up, and American Vandal. In 2020, she voiced Mania, a Symbiote character, in an animated Spider-Man series.
"Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our beloved Carla Jeffery," Alexander's Talent Management wrote in their Instagram post. "For more than 20 years, Carla was part of the Alexanders Talent Management family, and watching her grow from a talented young girl into the beautiful, vibrant woman and actress she became was an incredible privilege."
The agency added: "We will remember her infectious smile, her laughter, her talent and the beautiful light she carried everywhere she went."
