Erik Jensen, an alum of ‘The Walking Dead,’ was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. People tied to the AMC franchise are rallying to raise money for his care.
Actor Erik Jensen, who is best known for his TV roles in “The Walking Dead” and “Mr. Robot,” was diagnosed last week with Stage 4 colorectal cancer, according to his family.
Now other veterans of “The Walking Dead” franchise, along with members of the wider Hollywood and stage communities, are drumming up support to raise money for his treatment as his family struggles financially amid the ongoing actors’ strike. As of Wednesday afternoon, a GoFundMe page started a week ago by his wife, actor Jessica Blank, has raised more than $106,000 toward its goal of $300,000.
The donor list already includes actor Nick Offerman and his wife and fellow actor Megan Mullally, Donna Lynne Champlin of “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “WandaVision” director Matt Shakman, “Oz” creator Tom Fontana and the nonprofit Broadway Cares, as well as Emily Kinney, who starred as Beth Greene in “The Walking Dead” throughout the show’s 12-year run, including Season 5, where she acted alongside Jensen.
“Stage IV is not a death sentence,” says a statement on the fundraising page, which includes a photo of Jensen in a car with Blank and their 13-year-old daughter, Sadie. “Erik is determined to make it through this, and he’s working incredibly hard to stay positive and fight for the shot that his doctors know he has.”
Jensen’s diagnosis came about 1½ years after he survived a brain aneurysm, the statement said.
