Fans and friends are paying tribute to the groundbreaking star, who made history in his role on soap opera «All My Children.»
Heavy
Red rose on a gravestone
Actor Jeffrey Carlson is being remembered by friends and famous colleagues as a gifted artist whose diverse career included starring in multiple Broadway shows, teaching aspiring artists how to perform Shakespeare, appearing in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, and joining the cast of “All My Children” for a groundbreaking role as one of daytime TV’s first transgender characters.
Carlson died on July 6, 2023, at age 48, according to actress Susan Hart, with whom he taught Shakespearean acting classes in Chicago for years. Hart shared the news via Facebook the following day in a heartbreaking post.
“Good night my sweet sweet sweet prince among men,” she wrote. “No words for our despair at losing you Jeffrey Carlson. You were … oh God… no words… so so loved and adored. For those of you that don’t know, I’m very sorry to share the news that Jeffrey passed away yesterday. I have been respectful of his family’s privacy in not sharing the news sooner… also could not breathe or function… still can’t… love to all… just devastated..”
As news spread of Carlson’s death over the weekend, many colleagues and fans have taken to social media to share their grief and pay tribute.
News of Carlson’s death became more widespread on July 8, when Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman tweeted the news.
He wrote, “RIP Jeffrey Carlson, 48, exposed-nerve star of Broadway (Billy in The Goat, Marilyn in Taboo) and TV (the groundbreaking trans character Zoe on All My Children). A powerful actor and a painful loss.”
Carlson’s career began in theater after he attended the esteemed Julliard School, he told Windy City Times in 2013, and quickly landed his first Broadway role in Edward Albee’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” co-starring Bill Pullman and Sally Field.
