Camila María Concepción, a trans Latina activist who most recently worked on Gentefied, has passed away at the age of 28.
Her death was confirmed by friends and colleagues on social media following the premiere of the Netflix series, which follows three Mexican-American cousins and their struggle to chase the American dream. She died by an apparent suicide on Friday, according to Variety.
Originally from the Inland Empire area, Concepción studied English literature at Yale University before working with Transparent creator Jill Soloway under 50/50 by 2020, an initiative campaigning for gender parity in film, television and art.
A vocal advocate for trans and Latinx representation in the entertainment industry, Concepción worked on Netflix’s post-apocalyptic drama-comedy Daybreak before becoming a writer’s assistant on Gentefied. She later cowrote the ninth episode of the first season, titled “Protest Tacos.”
In an Instagram tribute shared on Sunday, Gentefied co-creater Marvin Lemus described Concepción as “the most special, raw talent” he had ever met.
“Late last night the Gentefied family learned that we lost one of the brightest souls, not only on this show, but that I’ve ever met in my life. I’ve been trying my hardest to numb the hurt by focusing on the show and all the love coming in, waiting to get a phone call to let me know this was a sick joke,” Lemus wrote.
“Camila, Im so mad at you right now,” he continued. “I’m so f— mad at you because I’m one of your million adoring fans and I was going to make it my personal mission to make sure the fucking world knew your name.”
“Mija, I hope you’re at peace now. I’ll get over my anger. I’m not ready yet. Maybe it’s just my way of holding onto just a bit of the flame that made you so incredibly bright.”
