Walking Dead Alum Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis; Cast and Crew Rally Around ‘One of Our Own’
The Walking Dead family is showing up for one of their colleagues amid a serious medical crisis.
Franchise CCO Scott M. Gimple revealed Monday that Erik Jensen — who in Season 5 played Steven Edwards, the weaselly Grady Memorial doctor for whom ill-fated Beth Greene briefly worked as an assistant — has been diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer.
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Gimple shared the sobering news on social media, and pointed fans to a GoFundMe page created on the actor’s behalf.
“One of TWD‘s own could use a little help,” Gimple wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Erik Jensen, who played Dr. Steven Edwards in S5 was just diagnosed with cancer, and it’s a time of great uncertainty for him and his family.”
The GoFundMe page says Jensen and his family — which includes his wife Jessica and their 13-year-old daughter Sadie — “are in for the fight of their lives,” adding, “Erik and Jess… are full-time freelance artists and live without the cushion that long-term commercial work can provide.” The dual Hollywood strikes only compounded their “extremely precarious financial position,” leaving them in “need a lot of help to make it through the next year, pay for treatment, keep their home and maintain some sort of stability for Sadie.”
The message concludes on this hopeful note: “Stage IV is not a death sentence, and Erik is working incredibly hard to stay positive and fight for the shot that his doctors say he has.”
Walking Dead vet Jeffrey Dean Morgan — who is coming off of Season 1 of AMC’s TWD: Dead City spinoff — echoed Gimple’s call to action Tuesday on X, writing, “Never had the chance to work with Erik. [But] have heard many things about what a great guy he is. I do know he and his [family] could use some help.”
In addition to his recurring role on The Walking Dead, Jensen’s TV credits include Mr. Robot, Mindhunter, The Americans and 30 Rock.
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