Oct. 5, 2026, 10:55 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 5, 2026, 12:09 PM EDT
Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington revealed in an Instagram post over the weekend that his wife of 29 years, Jenisa Washington, died more than a year ago.
Appearing to address speculation, Washington said that “the rumors are true” and that his wife — who also went by Jenisa Garland — had “collapsed suddenly” in May 2025 and died on June 9, 2025.
“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.”
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing bleeding in or around the brain, according to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus. The bleeding increases pressure inside the skull and damages brain tissue. Common causes include an aneurysm, high blood pressure, head trauma or arteriovenous malformation.
According to MedlinePlus, symptoms can include a sudden severe headache, sudden dizziness or trouble walking, sudden confusion, and sudden numbness or weakness in the face.
“She has been gone 16 months now, but she left 3 incredibly amazing children behind to continue her legacy,” the actor said.
Washington didn’t say why he waited over a year to announce her death but suggested that she may not have wanted the information made public.
“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.
Celebrities including Viola Davis, Loni Love, Michael Beach, Tichina Arnold and Neil Brown Jr. offered their condolences to Washington.
Washington appeared on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Preston Burke but was fired in 2007 after he used a homophobic slur against a co-star. He later apologized.
