Carla Jeffery Dead at 33: Chandler Kinney, Milo Manheim Mourn

Carla Jeffery, the actress who played cheerleader Bree across every chapter of Disney’s “Zombies” franchise, has died. She was 33.

Her management team confirmed the news, saying Jeffery died on Tuesday, Sept. 1. No cause was given. Within hours, the Seabrook High cast she grew up alongside on screen filled Instagram with photos and grief. Milo Manheim called her “the sweetest, kindest most loving person.” Chandler Kinney wrote that the news “doesn’t feel real.”

For a generation of Disney Channel viewers, Jeffery was the loyal best friend with the biggest smile in the frame. For the people who spent seven years making those movies with her, the loss lands much closer to home. Here is everything that has been confirmed so far, along with a look back at a career that started when she was a kid.

What Her Management Team Announced

The first public confirmation came from talent manager Carla Alexander, who posted a statement on social media on behalf of Alexanders Talent Management. The note carried the weight of a two-decade relationship rather than a press release.

A Relationship That Started at Age 12

According to the statement, Carla Jeffery signed with the agency when she was just 12 years old. That means Alexander and her team watched her go from a child actor booking guest spots to a franchise regular whose face appeared on lunchboxes and Disney+ home screens.

“For more than 20 years we had the privilege of watching her grow into a beautiful … and incredibly talented woman whose radiant smile could light up a room,” Alexander wrote.

The statement went on to frame Jeffery’s legacy through the role that defined her public career. “As Bree in Disney’s hit ‘Zombies’ franchise, Carla shared her joy, humor, and bright spirit with audiences around the world,” it read. “Our hearts are with Carla’s family and loved ones during this devastating time.”

No Cause of Death Released

The announcement did not include any information about how Jeffery died. Searches for Carla Jeffery cause of death spiked almost immediately after the news broke, but as of publication, neither her family nor her representatives have shared details. Where she died has also not been disclosed.

That silence is not unusual in the first 48 hours after a sudden loss, particularly when the person is this young. Families often need time before deciding what, if anything, to share publicly. Any reporting that claims to know more right now should be treated with caution.

‘This Doesn’t Feel Real’: The Zombies Cast Reacts

The “Zombies” ensemble has always marketed itself as a tight-knit group, and the tributes that surfaced this week backed that up. Two of the franchise’s biggest names posted within hours of each other, and both chose personal memories over polished statements.

Chandler Kinney Remembers the Splits

Chandler Kinney, who joined the franchise as werewolf Willa in “Zombies 2” and became one of its breakout stars, shared a photo of herself with Jeffery on Instagram. Her caption read like someone still processing the information in real time.

“This doesn’t feel real,” Kinney wrote. “I feel so grateful to have known your love. I’m going to miss laughing with you, and watching you break out your signature splits on any & every dance floor.”

That last line stands out. Jeffery’s splits were a running joke among castmates, but they were also something she credited with getting her hired in the first place. More on that below.

Milo Manheim’s ‘Carlaboo’ Tribute

Milo Manheim, who has played zombie football star Zed since the original 2018 film, posted a carousel of images showing the two of them clowning around. There are no red-carpet shots in the batch. Just two friends being ridiculous.

“Love you Carlaboo, the sweetest, kindest most loving person,” Manheim wrote.

Manheim and Jeffery worked together across four feature films plus the franchise’s animated spinoff and its many music video releases. The nickname in his caption suggests a friendship that ran well beyond call sheets.

Who Was Carla Jeffery? From Texas to Disney Channel

Jeffery grew up in Texas and started working professionally while still in middle school. Her résumé is not long by Hollywood standards, but it includes two credits that most working actors would trade a lot for: a recurring role on one of HBO’s most celebrated comedies and a lead supporting part in a Disney franchise that ran for the better part of a decade.

The Curb Your Enthusiasm Years

Long before Seabrook High, Jeffery was trading lines with Larry David. She appeared in 10 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm between 2007 and 2009, playing Keysha Black, one of the kids in the Black family that moves into Larry’s house after a hurricane displaces them during the show’s sixth season.

The Blacks storyline gave the show some of its most quoted moments, and Jeffery held her own in scenes with David, Vivica A. Fox, and J.B. Smoove. Landing that gig as a teenager, on a show famous for improvisation, is not a small thing. It requires timing and nerve. She clearly had both.

Becoming Bree

Nearly a decade later, Disney Channel cast her as Bree, the relentlessly upbeat cheerleader and best friend to Meg Donnelly’s Addison, in the original “Zombies.” The film premiered in February 2018 and became one of the network’s biggest original-movie hits since the “High School Musical” and “Descendants” eras.

Bree was written as comic relief, but Jeffery gave the character enough warmth that fans kept asking for more of her. She got it.

The Franchise Timeline

• “Zombies” (2018): Jeffery debuts as Bree, the human cheerleader who befriends the newly integrated zombie students.
• “Zombies 2” (2020): Werewolves arrive in Seabrook. Bree returns, and Chandler Kinney joins the cast.
• “Zombies 3” (2022): Aliens land. The film debuted on Disney+ before airing on Disney Channel.
• “Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires” (2025): The franchise expands again with daywalkers and vampires.
• “Zombies: The Re-Animated Series” (2024): Jeffery voiced Bree in the animated spinoff, keeping the character alive between live-action installments.

Add the soundtrack music videos, the promotional tours, and the Disney Channel crossover specials, and Jeffery spent a large portion of her twenties as a Zombies actress. That is the role most obituaries will lead with, and it is the role Alexander’s statement chose to highlight.

In Her Own Words: The Podcast Interview

Some of the most revealing material about who Jeffery was came from her own mouth, roughly a year before her death. In August 2025, she sat down with Giovonnie Samuels for “The Tokens Podcast,” a show built around candid conversations with actors of color about their industry experiences. Jeffery did not hold back.

‘I Got Some Moves and I’m Going to Show Y’all’

She talked openly about breaking into the business as a plus-size performer and about the audition mindset that got her through the door.

“I’m almost 300 lb, but I got some moves and I’m going to show y’all,” Jeffery said, describing the attitude she carried into casting rooms.

Then came the line that Kinney’s tribute would echo a year later. “I feel like my splits was what got me a couple things,” she said. The move was a party trick, sure. It was also a statement. She wanted casting directors to see a performer, not a body type, and she found a way to make them look.

A Candid Take on Body Image and Hollywood

Jeffery also acknowledged that she had lost weight over the years. She did not pretend that solved anything. In the same interview, she said she still felt her physique limited the roles she could book, even after the “Zombies” success.

That admission cuts against the tidy narrative Disney’s marketing might prefer. Here was a woman who had been on set with Larry David at 14, headlined a franchise’s supporting cast for seven years, and still walked into rooms feeling like her body closed doors before she said a word. It is a familiar story in this industry. Hearing it from someone so associated with on-screen joy makes it land harder.

What We Know and What We Don’t

Breaking-news obituaries move fast, and rumors move faster. Here is where things stand.

Confirmed

• Jeffery died on Tuesday, Sept. 1, according to her management.
• She was 33.
• Alexanders Talent Management issued the only official statement so far.
• Milo Manheim and Chandler Kinney have publicly mourned her on Instagram.
• She played Bree in all four live-action “Zombies” films, the animated series, and multiple music videos.
• She appeared in 10 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2007 to 2009.

Not Confirmed

• The Carla Jeffery cause of death has not been released.
• The location of her death has not been disclosed.
• Disney has not issued a statement as of publication.
• Meg Donnelly, who played Bree’s on-screen best friend, had not posted publicly at the time of writing.
• No memorial or funeral details have been announced.

Expect more tributes in the coming days. The “Zombies” cast is large, and many of its members have stayed close since the original film wrapped in 2017. Kylee Russell, Trevor Tordjman, Carla’s animated-series castmates, and Donnelly herself will likely add their voices. When Disney weighs in, it will almost certainly be through the Disney Channel and Disney+ social accounts.

The Bree Effect

Talk to anyone who grew up watching Disney Channel between 2018 and 2025 and ask them about Bree, and you will get the same reaction: a grin. The character was pure sunshine, the friend who cheered loudest and asked questions nobody else would. Jeffery played her without a shred of irony, which is exactly why kids trusted her.

Off camera, by every account that surfaced this week, she was the same person. Manheim’s photos show it. Kinney’s memory of the dance-floor splits shows it. Alexander’s line about a smile that “could light up a room” shows it.

Jeffery talked publicly about the ways Hollywood underestimated her. She also refused to let that be the whole story, and she made a point of showing casting directors, and later audiences, what she could do when someone gave her the floor. The people who loved her are grieving a friend this week. The fans who only knew Bree are grieving something too: the sense that the brightest person in the room was supposed to stick around a lot longer.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.