Carla Jeffery, Bree in Disney's Zombies, dies at 33

The announcement

Carla Jeffery, the actor who played Bree in Disney's Zombies films, died on September 1, 2026, at the age of 33. Her longtime representatives at Alexanders Talent Management announced the news on social media.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Carla Jeffery, who passed away on September 1, 2026, at just 33 years old," the agency's statement said. A cause of death was not announced, and Deadline reports that no place of death was given either.

The agency said Jeffery joined it at the age of 12 and remained with it for more than 20 years. "Carla was more than a client; she was family," Carla Alexander wrote on Instagram, according to Deadline. The statement asked the public to respect the family's privacy.

The Zombies role

Jeffery played Bree, an aspiring cheerleader at the fictional Seabrook High School who becomes a friend of Addison, played by Meg Donnelly. The character first appeared in the 2018 Disney Channel musical television film Zombies.

She returned to the role in the 2020 and 2022 sequels, and voiced Bree in the 2024 Disney Channel animated series Zombies: The Re-Animated Series. Deadline reports she also appeared as Bree in cast music videos for songs including "Flesh & Bone" and "Fired Up," and in Donnelly's video for "Impress."

Earlier career and family

Jeffery was born on July 10, 1993, in Houston, Texas. Hindustan Times reports the family moved to Los Angeles in 2005, when she and her siblings were young, and that her parents and wider family were never publicly identified.

She made her screen debut in the 2006 romantic comedy Phat Girlz, playing the 10-year-old version of the character Jazmin, whose adult version was played by Mo'Nique. She then recurred on Larry David's HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm as Keysha Black, a member of a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina who move in with David. Deadline reports she appeared in 10 episodes across the show's sixth and seventh seasons, from 2006 to 2008.

Her other credits include an arc on the NBC police drama Southland as a key witness in an attempted murder case, a recurring role in the first season of the Netflix mockumentary American Vandal, and guest appearances on iCarly, Shake It Up, Good Luck Charlie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Torchwood and Suburgatory. She also appeared in the films Teacher of the Year (2014), Girl on the Edge (2015) and Exchange (2016).

Deadline reports that her twin brother, Carlon Jeffery, is also an actor, and co-starred in the Disney Channel sitcom A.N.T. Farm from 2011 to 2013.