Jeffrey Carlson, groundbreaking actor on ‘All My Children,’ dead at 48

Actor Jeffrey Carlson, who starred as a transgender character in a groundbreaking role on the soap opera “All My Children,” has reportedly died. He was 48.

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News of the actor’s death was shared on Twitter by Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman, Deadline reported.

Update 9:22 p.m. EDT July 12: According to an emailed statement from Jeffrey Carlson’s family, the actor’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed and will not be determined for at least four to six weeks.

While Carlson is noted for playing a transgender character on “All My Children,” he did not identify as a trans person, his family said.

“We are devastated by his passing and trying our best to handle this in a way that allows us to grieve, protect our hearts, and celebrate every ounce of goodness about him,” Carlson’s sister, Elizabeth Carlson Gingras, said in a statement. “It seems impossible to move forward without him, but we must focus on the time we had, and bring to light his memory and beautiful soul.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out and shared their memories and gracious words. We feel how much he was loved and how much he will be missed. We kindly ask for privacy during this excruciating time, and promise to update all on his celebration of life as details emerge. Thank you and much love to everyone.”

Original report: It was unclear when and where Carlson died. A representative for the actor did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment on Sunday.

Carlson appeared in 59 episodes of the afternoon soap show, according to IMDb.com. He originally was cast as a “biologically born” character named Zarf in August 2006, Deadline reported. He returned three months later as Zoe, a transgender woman, according to the entertainment news website.

It marked the first time a daytime serial had introduced a transgender character, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Carlson, who was born in Long Beach, California in 1975, graduated from the Juilliard School, the entertainment news outlet reported.

He also appeared on Broadway in “The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?” and “Taboo,” according to Deadline. He also had a role in the 2005 comedy Hitch, People reported.

In a Facebook post for Carlson, the Shakespeare Theatre Company wrote that the actor “gave beautiful and nuanced performances during (his) career, which took him from television and film to Broadway and, fortunately for us, to STC.”

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