All My Children's Jeffrey Carlson Dead at 48, Costar Eden Riegel Pays Tribute

Television By TooFab Staff |

Carlson played one of the first transgender characters to come out on daytime TV, portraying a British rocker named Zarf who later came out as transgender lesbian Zoe.

Soap opera and stage actor Jeffrey Carlson is dead. He was 48.

Theater critic for Time Out New York Adam Feldman first broke the news on Sunday, tweeting, "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."

No additional details about Carlson's death were revealed.

The actor was best known for his run on All My Children, starting in 2006. Carlson was introduced in August 2006 as British rocker Zarf, whose transition was chronicled during his time on the show. The character later came out as a transgender lesbian named Zoe and had a romantic storyline with Eden Riegel's Bianca Montgomery.

Following his death, Riegel took to Twitter to pay tribute to her former costar.

"Devastated beyond measure to hear of the passing of the beautiful and gifted Jeffrey Carlson," she wrote. "I feel fortunate to have called this kind soul a friend and see his brilliant work up close. Gone far too soon — an unimaginable loss. Love you, Jeffrey. Rest friend."

While not the first transgender character to appear on daytime television, Zoe appears to be one of -- if not the -- first characters whose coming out and transition was highlighted.

A Juilliard graduate, Carlson's stage credits also include Edward Albee's The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, the Boy George musical Taboo and productions of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. He also appeared in the Will Smith movie Hitch.