For a lot of people who grew up on Disney Channel, Carla Jeffery was simply Bree: the cheerleader at Seabrook High who backed her best friend no matter what. But Bree arrived more than a decade into a career that had already taken her from a Mo'Nique comedy to HBO and back across nearly every family network on American television. Her agency announced in early September 2026 that she had died at 33. A month on, the details of her death remain private. Her work is easy to look back on.
Carla Jeffery at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Carla Jaran Jeffery |
| Born | July 10, 1993, Houston, Texas, USA |
| Died | September 1, 2026, aged 33 (announced by her agency) |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 3.5 in (1.61 m) |
| Work | Actress and singer |
| Twin brother | Carlon Jeffery, actor |
| Parents | Military family; names not made public |
| Best known for | Bree in the ZOMBIES franchise; Keysha Black in Curb Your Enthusiasm |
| Estimated net worth | $500,000 to $2 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
From Houston to a Mo'Nique comedy at 12
Carla Jaran Jeffery was born in Houston on July 10, 1993, a few minutes apart from her twin brother, Carlon. They grew up in a military household. In 2005 the whole family moved to Los Angeles so the twins could act full time.
That is a big ask of any family. It paid off fast. By 2006, at 12, Carla had a role alongside Mo'Nique in the comedy Phat Girlz. It was a small part in a modest film, but it got her a career that lasted almost two decades.
Keysha Black, and a child actor on Curb
Her first long run came somewhere you might not expect for a future Disney star. From 2007 to 2009 she played Keysha Black in about ten episodes of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, one of the children in the Black family whose presence in Larry David's life drove much of the show's later comedy. Holding your own as a teenager in a largely improvised show is a real skill. Plenty of adult guest stars have struggled with it.
The guest star you kept recognising
Jeffery's résumé is the résumé of a working actor: more than 25 credits by Icon Polls' count, few of them leads, almost all of them on shows people actually watched. Highlights include:
- Family and teen TV: iCarly, Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up (as Margie), Best Friends Whenever, Game Shakers and Uncle Buck
- Adult comedy and drama: Southland, Lie to Me, Men of a Certain Age, Miss Guided, Suburgatory, Super Fun Night, Torchwood, Scream Queens and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
- Streaming: Sierra Sherrington in four episodes of Netflix's American Vandal (2017)
- Film: Phat Girlz, Girl on the Edge and Teacher of the Year
- Voice work: Mania in Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom
The Shake It Up role, alongside Zendaya and Bella Thorne, matters more than its size suggests. It put her inside the Disney Channel system, and that is usually how the bigger parts come.
Bree, and why she stuck
The bigger part was Bree. In ZOMBIES (2018), ZOMBIES 2 (2020) and ZOMBIES 3 (2022), she played the loyal, upbeat best friend of Meg Donnelly's Addison. On paper the best friend in a Disney Channel musical is a thankless job: you mostly react to the leads. Jeffery made it more than that. Her Bree had real comic timing and real warmth, and fans took to her quickly.
She stayed with the character after the live action trilogy ended, voicing Bree in ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series. Her last public link to the franchise was a happy one. On July 8, 2025, she attended the world premiere of ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. For fans who want to think about where these films sit in the wider Disney canon, the Icon Polls vote on the best Disney movies is open.
Twins in the same business
Carlon Jeffery built his own Disney Channel career, best known as Cameron Parks on A.N.T. Farm from 2011 to 2013, and he also makes music. The twins came up through the same audition rooms in the same years, which is rare. Their parents have never put their names in public, and the family has always kept its personal details out of view. Carla did the same. There is no public record of a marriage or a public relationship, and Icon Polls won't speculate about one.
What the announcement said, and what it left out
News of her death came on September 2, 2026, in a statement on her Instagram from Alexanders Talent Management. The agency said she died on September 1. They had represented her for more than 20 years and called her family rather than a client. The statement gave no cause of death and no location, and asked for privacy for the people closest to her.
That is still all that is publicly known. Any claim about how she died that doesn't come from her family or her representatives should be treated with suspicion. Icon Polls will update this page only if official information is released.
Tributes from fans and fellow actors followed across social media. Many came from people who grew up with the ZOMBIES films and talked about what Bree meant to them as kids.
Money, as best anyone can tell
No official figure exists for Carla Jeffery's earnings or estate. Icon Polls estimates her net worth was between $500,000 and $2 million. That range reflects nearly 20 years of steady work for Disney, HBO and Netflix, including recurring roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm and across the ZOMBIES franchise. The range is wide because supporting and guest roles pay very differently from show to show, and those deals are rarely public.
Quick answers
Who did Carla Jeffery play in ZOMBIES?
Bree, Addison's best friend and fellow cheerleader at Seabrook High. She played the role in all three original films and voiced her in ZOMBIES: The Re-Animated Series.
Has a cause of death been confirmed?
No. Her agency confirmed she died on September 1, 2026, aged 33, but shared no cause, and none has been made public since.
Is Carlon Jeffery her twin?
Yes. Carlon was born the same day in Houston and is best known as Cameron Parks on Disney Channel's A.N.T. Farm.
