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Nashville is mourning the loss of rising star Isabelle Tate, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 23. Her talent agency confirmed Thursday that Tate had been battling Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological condition.
Tate, a Nashville native and graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, recently made a memorable appearance in an episode of “9-1-1: Nashville.”
The McCray Agency shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram Wednesday, stating, “We are deeply saddened and completely heartbroken to share that Isabelle Tate passed away on October 19th. 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.”
Tate’s family, in a statement released Friday, confirmed her death was due to “a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.” They highlighted her recent return to acting, noting her role in “9-1-1: Nashville,” which filmed in June and aired earlier this month, was the first project she auditioned for.
In memory of Isabelle, her family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing treatments for the disease.
In 2022, Tate had openly shared on Instagram that she was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease at 13, explaining that it progressively weakened her legs. While she didn’t name the specific condition at the time, she wrote, “Recently, it’s really progressed and I’ve come to terms that if I want to live my life to the fullest I need to use a wheelchair at times.”
An online obituary described Tate as “full of fire, a fighter, never once making excuses for the fact that she might have a disability relative to others.”
Understanding Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) encompasses a group of inherited conditions that lead to nerve damage and the weakening of muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms typically emerge during the teenage years or early adulthood and can include difficulty walking and a loss of sensation in the legs and feet.
While CMT is not considered a fatal disease, its symptoms can lead to complications such as injuries from falls, undetected infections, and, in rare instances, breathing difficulties, which Johns Hopkins Medicine notes can be particularly dangerous at night and may necessitate the use of a nighttime breathing assistive device.
Though there is currently no cure for CMT, various treatments-including physical therapy, orthopedic devices like braces, surgery, and medication-can help manage its symptoms, as reported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.