Variety is reporting that actor and musician Jackson Odell has died, after being found unresponsive at home. He was 20 years old. There is no preliminary suspicion of foul play, but a cause of death will not be announced until an autopsy takes place, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed to Variety.
Odell’s family released the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “The Odell family has lost our beloved son and brother, Jackson Odell. He will always be a shining light and a brilliant, loving and talented soul. He had so much more to share. Our family will always carry that truth forward. Our wish is that the rest of the world does as well. We are now going to try to make sense of our immeasurable loss privately.”
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Jackson is known for his teen acting roles, notably as Gumbo on Nickelodeon’s iCarly and as Ted Durkas on ABC’s Modern Family. He also appeared in guest starring roles on Arrested Development and The Fosters. Jackson’s most high-profile role was on The Goldbergs, where he played the popular character Ari Caldwell.
He also had a burgeoning songwriter career. Odell wrote original songs for the 2018 film adaptation of Forever My Girl, based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin. He also performed acoustic guitar covers of songs like “Dreaming of a Broken Heart” by John Mayer and “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes; videos of the performances were posted on Odell’s YouTube channel.
Actor Charlie DePew, who worked with Odell on The Goldbergs, posted a tribute on Twitter. “RIP Jackson Odell. I’m so happy that i got to know you. You were a true talent and an even truer person,” he wrote.
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