Isabelle's Dream
Isabelle Tate—born Aug. 8, 2002—was an aspiring actress, making her screen debut in the pilot episode of Ryan Murphy's new series 9-1-1: Nashville.
9-1-1: Nashville Debut
In the Oct. 9 episode, she played Julie, a woman who was struggling to get a good view from her wheelchair at a strip club, where Captain Don Hart's estranged son Blue Bennings (Hunter McVey) was an exotic dancer.
When Julie and her friend couldn't see the show, she told the woman in front of them, "Sorry, you're blocking our view." The woman spat back, "Shut up, Hot Wheels."
When Blue saw the interaction—despite intimate physical contact from dancers being illegal in the city limits—he decided to give Julie an evening to remember with a very sensual lap dance.
Unfortunately, the club's manager wasn't too happy about it, slapping Blue—who later becomes a firefighter under Don (Chris O'Donnell)—on the wrist, reminding him that he's "not a person," but rather "a set of abs."
Sharing Her Truth
In 2022, Isabelle shared her Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease diagnosis—also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy—in an emotional message on Instagram.
"When I was 13, I got diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that weakens my leg muscles over time," she wrote in the post. "Over the years, I was going on with my life and would notice little things get more difficult for me, but not so much where it stood out to me significantly."
"Recently, it's really progressed and I've come to terms that if I was to live my life to the fullest, I need to use a wheelchair at times," she continued. "This has been a difficult journey for me because having to accept help and surrender to the progression of this condition has been extremely hard."
She reflected on what she struggled with most as her muscles atrophied: accepting help and recognizing the progression of the condition.
"I hated that it was not only breaking me down physically, but I was allowing it to also break down my spirit," she explained. "I don't know why these were the cards I was dealt with in life, but I can't change it, so I'm choosing to embrace it and not let it define me."
More Than an Actress
While Isabelle made her acting debut in the latest 9-1-1 spinoff, she was also fond of songwriting, according to her obituary.
"She was also quite musically inclined," her family shared, "often spending hours writing and recording songs with friends and even publishing a few."
A Case of the Travel Bug
Despite Isabelle navigating her CMT diagnosis for nearly a decade before her death, she was sure to make the most of her time. Indeed, she documented her travels around the world with her sister Danielle Tate and her crew of friends. From Oahu, Hawaii, to Lisbon, Portugal, Isabelle was sure to enjoy some fun in the sun.
Nashville Pride
Isabelle—a Nashville, Tennessee, native—proved she was a true hockey fan by attending multiple Nashville Predators games with her sister.
A Love for Live Music
Along with sporting events, the actress also loved attending live music events. In fact, she and her friends were enchanted by Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour show in Nashville in May 2023. But her love for the activity went even further back as the then-16-year-old couldn't help but gush over Bazzi's performance at Music Midtown in 2018.