Jessica Campbell, the actress who brought Tammy Metzler to life in the acclaimed 1999 film Election has died.
According to Deadline and a verified GoFundMe page set up by her cousin, Campbell had died unexpectedly on December 29th at the home of a relative in Portland, Oregon. She was just 38.
“A true adventurer in every sense of the word, Jessica packed a staggering amount of experiences into her tragically short lifetime,” reads the description in the GoFundMe page. “Listening to her talk, excitedly recounting her tales at a mile-a-minute, one could be forgiven for thinking ‘is this b*tch for real?'”
“But she was in fact for real and there was no one else like her. Traveling the world, acting, becoming a doctor, being Mom to the coolest kid ever; these bucket list items wove the quotidian fabric of her reality. Her passion for life and the people in it was astounding.”
A cause of death has not been disclosed but it is reported that Campbell had been experiencing flu-like symptoms on the day she passed away.
Campbell began her acting career in 1992 with a role in the TV movie In The Best Interest Of The Children, which also starred Sarah Jessica Parker.
But it was her next role that caught the attention of audiences: Tammy Metzler in 1999’s Election.
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While Reese Witherspoon was the main character in Election, Campbell’s Tammy Metzler was considered the true hero of the story as not only was the character fiercely passionate, she managed to rally everyone behind her in her bid to become president of her high school government with a defiant monologue about how everything is a sham.
In a film filled with several memorable scenes, Metzler’s monologue remains arguably the best and it definitely played a part in scoring Campbell an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance.
Following reports of Campbell’s death, Witherspoon tweeted that she is “heartbroken” over the news, writing: “So heart broken to hear this. Working with Jessica on Election was such a pleasure. I’m sending all my love to Jessica‘s family and loved ones.”
After appearing on two episodes of Freaks And Geeks and a couple of film projects, Campbell retired from acting in 2002 to focus on her family and new career as a naturopathic practitioner.
Campbell is survived by her 10-year-old son, her husband, and her mother.
Our deepest condolences goes out to Jessica Campbell’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Check out Jessica Campbell in Election:
