Carla Jeffery, the actress best known for playing Bree in Disney's "Zombies" franchise, died on September 1 at age 33. Her management company, Alexanders Talent Management, confirmed her death in a statement posted to her Instagram, calling her "more than a client" and "family." A cause of death has not been disclosed, and her representatives have asked that the family's privacy be respected.
Jeffery joined the Zombies franchise in 2018, playing the bubbly cheerleader and loyal best friend to lead character Addison across four films, most recently "Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires" in 2025, and voiced the role again in the 2024 animated spinoff series. Over that run, she became a recognizable presence at Disney Channel premieres, where her red carpet choices tended to mirror her character's warmth: bright colors, playful silhouettes and an ease in front of the camera that came through in every photo.
At the July 2025 world premiere of "Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires" at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Jeffery posed alongside her longtime castmates, part of a cast that had walked Disney carpets together for the better part of a decade. She had also appeared at the March 2023 premiere of the Disney original film "Prom Pact" at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, one of several appearances that placed her among the rotating cast of young Disney talent who became familiar faces at the studio's press events throughout the 2020s.
Jeffery's path to Hollywood began young. Born in Houston in 1993, she started acting at 12, appearing in "Phat Girlz" before moving into television roles on "iCarly," "Good Luck Charlie," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Southland." That early-career résumé, spanning comedy and drama alike, meant she'd been photographed on red carpets for the better part of two decades by the time "Zombies" made her widely recognizable.
Tributes from her "Zombies" co-stars poured in following the announcement. Milo Manheim, who played Zed opposite her Bree, wrote that she was "the sweetest person I have ever met." Chandler Kinney, who starred alongside her as Willa across three "Zombies" films, called her "the brightest shining light in any room she walked into." Disney Entertainment Television also released a statement noting that Jeffery's "talent, warmth and spirit left an indelible mark on everyone who had the privilege of working with her."
For a generation of viewers who grew up on the "Zombies" franchise, Jeffery's Bree was inseparable from the series' visual identity: cheer uniforms, bold color-blocking and an unapologetically bright aesthetic that extended from the screen to her own red carpet appearances. That throughline, from costume to press-day styling, is part of what made her a familiar and beloved figure at Disney events for years.
