Isaiah Washington publicly confirmed the sudden passing of his wife of 29 years, Jenisa Marie Garland.
Addressing recent speculation surrounding her death, he shared a statement on social media that Garland passed away on June 9, 2025, at the age of 56. She suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke following a sudden collapse days earlier.
“It came as a huge shock to me and our entire family. She succumbed to a massive hemorrhagic stroke and never recovered,” he wrote Saturday. “Listen, y’all…some headaches are not just headaches or migraines; they can be much worse and a warning sign. Get a brain scan if you can and take those headaches seriously.”
“She has been gone 16 months now, but she left 3 incredibly amazing children behind to continue her legacy,” he continued.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a hemorrhagic stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain breaks and bleeds into or around surrounding brain tissue. The bleeding cuts off normal blood flow, deprives brain cells of oxygen, and creates dangerous extra pressure inside the skull. It accounts for roughly 10% to 15% of all strokes.
Washington did not share why it took him a year to share his wife’s passing.
“I don’t know if this is an appropriate post, because Jenisa Washington was extremely private, but I guess I just have to be reprimanded from her on the other side,” he wrote.
After studying theater at Howard University, Washington launched his professional acting career in the early 1990s. He gained early recognition through frequent collaborations with director Spike Lee in films such as Crooklyn (1994), Clockers (1995), and Get on the Bus (1996).
Washington also starred in Love Jones (1997), Out of Sight (1998), True Crime (1999), and Romeo Must Die (2000). He achieved widespread television stardom as cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy (2005–2007). This role earned him two NAACP Image Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award before his high-profile exit from the series.