Isabelle Tate made headlines earlier this week when she died at age 23 just weeks after making her acting debut in 9-1-1 Nashville.
The actress’s death was announced by her representatives on Wednesday, October 22 via a Facebook statement.
“We are deeply saddened and completely heartbroken to share that Isabelle Tate passed away on October 19th. She was 23,” the Facebook post read. “I’ve known Izzy since she was a teenager and she recently returned to acting. She booked the first series she auditioned for, 9-1-1 Nashville. She had a wonderful time.”
As we reflect on Tate’s short life taken too soon, here are five things to know about the late actress.
The Most Shocking Celebrity Deaths of All Time: Diane Keaton and More
9-1-1: Nashville was Isabelle Tate’s acting debut
Tate had aspirations of building an illustrious acting career, and her brief role in 9-1-1: Nashville’s pilot marked her on-screen debut.
Earlier this month, Tate appeared in the 9-1-1: Nashville series premiere.
In the episode, Tate portrayed a character who attended a bachelorette party and received a dance from stripper-turned-firefighter Blue (played by Hunter McVey).
According to her obituary, the role was the first series the actress auditioned for.
Isabelle Tate’s cause of death was a rare neurological disorder
As shared by her agency, Tate died from a rare neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
“Isabelle ‘Izzy’ Tate had a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease,” the McCray Agency shared via its Instagram Story on Thursday, October 23. “She passed away peacefully on the 19th of October. The family requests privacy as they deal with this sudden and shocking loss.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is “a group of inherited conditions that cause nerve damage.” The Clinic further explained that “Inherited conditions pass down through families.”
They added, “This damage mainly is in the nerves of the arms and legs, called the peripheral nerves. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease also is called hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy.”
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease causes smaller, weaker muscles and can lead to trouble walking, as well as loss of feeling in the legs and feet. Other symptoms include high arches, curled toes, tripping often and clumsy walking.
Tate spoke about her health battle via an Instagram post shared in December 2022.
“When I was 13, I got diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens my leg muscles over time,” she wrote. “When I was first diagnosed, I couldn’t fully understand what it was or grasp what it could be. Over the years, I was going on with my life and would notice little things get more difficult for me.”
Isabelle Tate studied business at Middle Tennessee State University
As well as pursuing acting, Tate also studied other skills at a tertiary level.
Her obituary revealed the actress had graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
Tate “wanted to change the world” the obituary additionally noted.
Isabelle Tate was close to her family, especially her sister and mom
Tate left behind many loved ones when she died. Among those grieving the painful loss are her family, including her mother Katerina Kazakos Tate, stepfather Vishnu Jayamohan, father John Daniel Tate and sister Daniella Tate.
Her mom and sister were mentioned specifically in the obituary shared by Tate’s reps to announce her death.
“What she loved the most, though, was spending time with family and friends, always the life of the party. Her sister was her best friend and her mom was her shining beacon of light,” the obituary read.
‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Character Makes Surprise Cameo in New ‘9-1-1’ Episode
Isabelle Tate gave back to her community by volunteering
During her short life, Isabelle made sure to give back and was known to spend her spare time volunteering, according to her obituary.
“Isabelle loved volunteering her time to all things, particularly animals — her idea of a fun outing was visiting an animal shelter and doling out lots of love,” her obituary read. “Isabelle was full of fire, a fighter, never once making excuses for the fact that she might have a disability relative to others.”
