Jessica Campbell, who played Tammy Metzler in Election, died at age 38.
Campbell’s family confirmed the news to TMZ, reporting that Campbell died on December 29, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Campbell, who left acting to become a naturopathic doctor, spent the day attending patients in her office, her cousin Sarah Wessling told the channel. She came home to visit her mother and aunt, went to the bathroom and never came back.
Later, her aunt found her passed out on the bathroom floor; Campbell could not be revived when the paramedics arrived. His family is waiting for the results of the autopsy, which was conducted by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner in Oregon.
Campbell was born on October 30, 1982 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She first appeared in the 1992 TV movie In the best interest of children with Sarah Jessica Parker. In 1999, she starred in her best known role as Metzler in Election. The film was directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Campbell played Chris Klein’s distressed sister, whose girlfriend dumped her and swapped for Klein’s character. In search of revenge, she runs against him for class president.
In a film that featured all-stars like Broderick and Witherspoon, Campbell stood out despite being relatively unknown. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Premiere Performance.
“Jessica was the last of the four protagonists chosen for Election, ”Payne says Rolling Stone. “I think she did just a little bit of high school and non-professional acting in Saint Louis, and her local agent sent Omaha – where we were filming – a VHS tape with Jessica’s perfect hearing. She even had a device. We didn’t meet until the night before the first day of shooting, so there was no time to rehearse this unprofessional actor; she just had to start working right in front of the camera. His instincts for the character were always right and his discipline was exemplary. If she was nervous, she never showed it. Her mother was also with us, an emergency room doctor, and Jessica later also became a doctor. Jessica started acting a lot too, but it never went to her head. “
“Of the four main protagonists of Election, her character was the true teller of the truth – and there was little difference between the character and Jessica herself, ”added Payne. “She was very smart, very informed, very funny and kind, and you could see those qualities in your mother too. Very good people. I cannot tell you how sad this recent and unexpected news has left me, how I am sure it leaves everyone who knew it.
Campbell also starred in Freaks and Geeks, Paul Feig’s short cult television series, produced by Judd Apatow. Campbell played the role of Amy Andrews, a tuba player in the McKinley High martial band. She starts dating Ken (Seth Rogen), later revealing to him that he was born intersex.
“Jessica is working on Freaks and Geeks it was so sincere, vulnerable and very sweet and funny ”, says Apatow Rolling Stone. “We all knew that we were collaborating with a very special person. Several of the main scenes were improvised with Seth Rogen, and they were magical together. She created a character with strength and grace. “
Campbell later starred in 2001 Object Security alongside Glenn Close and Dermot Mulroney, followed by 2002 Garbage.
Wessling opened a GoFundMe account, raising funds for funeral expenses – cremation, memorial and inventory – as well as caring for Campbell’s 10-year-old son, Oliver. Apatow donated $ 5,000 for fundraising.
“A true adventurer in every sense of the word, Jessica has put together an impressive amount of experiences in her tragically short life,” wrote Wessling on the GoFundMe page. “Listening to your conversation, lively telling your stories at a mile a minute, could someone be forgiven for thinking ‘is this real b * tch?’ But she was indeed real and there was no one like her. Traveling the world, acting, becoming a doctor, being the mother of the coolest boy of all time; these wish list items wove the everyday fabric of your reality. His passion for life and the people who live in it was impressive. “
“In addition to the impressive energy she has poured into her own life, Jessica has, on several occasions, dropped everything to travel across state borders and care for her loved ones in need,” she continued. “She was fun, she spoke loudly, she was compassionate and loyal; no matter what she did, she was always the only Jessica. Our phone chat is full of hilarious and inappropriate memes. She could always be considered the instigator, or at least a willing accomplice in various forms of mischief and mischief. To know her is to have an exaggerated history involving her. To know her is to have known a true friendship. “