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9-1-1: Nashville season one episode four has opened with an In Memoriam card for actress Isabelle Tate, who passed away at the age of 23 on October 19 2025. The ABC series honored the actress before the first scene began. Isabelle appeared in the premiere episode of the first responder drama as a guest inside a strip club. The stripper, who viewers were later introduced to as Blue Bennings, noticed her view was blocked as she was sitting in a wheelchair, and he gave her a lap dance. Isabelle's talent agency The McCray Agency confirmed that she died of "a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease." According to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA): "CMT is a rare multisystem, multiorgan disease that causes lifelong, progressive symptoms, including muscle weakness and atrophy in the arms and legs, sensory loss, and other complications. These symptoms often lead to challenges with balance, walking, hand use, and other daily activities." "We are deeply saddened and completely heartbroken to share that Isabelle Tate passed away on October 19th. She was 23," their initial 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." Nashville, a spin-off to the original 9-1-1 set in Los Angeles stars Chris O'Donnell, LeAnn Rimes, Kimberly Williams Paisley, and Jessica Capshaw. The statement added: "My heart goes out to her wonderful mother @katerinataterealtor, her sister Daniella, family, and friends. I was so lucky to know her, and she will be greatly missed by so many." In 2022, Isabella shared with Instagram followers that at the age of 13 she had been diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that "weakens my leg muscles over time". She went on to share that "recently, it's really progressed and I've come to terms with the fact that if I want to live my life to the fullest I need to use a wheelchair at all time." "I don't know why these were the cards I was dealt in life, but I can't change it so I'm choosing to embrace it and not let it define me," she said. The young actress was raised in Nashville, and had recently graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, before she returned to acting. Her obituary shared that she "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". It continued: "Isabelle was full of fire, a fighter, never once making excuses for the fact that she might have a disability relative to others. She was also quite musically inclined, often spending hours writing and recording songs with friends and even publishing a few." "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. She is survived by her mother, Katerina Kazakos Tate; step father, Vishnu Jayamohan; father, John Daniel Tate and sister, Daniella Tate," it concluded. In place of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) in Isabelle’s honor at cmtausa.org/donate.
