Editor's Note: We lost the beautiful, wonderfully talented actor/singer/songwriter J.Karen Thomas on March 26, 2015. I will never forget her performances at my "Tunesmithing" events... She was a lovely, giving and graceful lady in every way. It's hard to believe she's gone. Joe Pagetta, a writer for the blog How To Play Nashville, wrote an excellent article about her. She will definitely be missed. -- Chuck Whiting, MCAU Editor
From the Blog, How To Play Nashville:
J.
Karen Thomas, a beloved and vital member of Nashville’s theater, film,
television and music communities, died this morning at age 50, her longtime
partner of almost 20 years, Colette Divine, has confirmed. She was
diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in January and had been undergoing
treatment.
A
native of Nashville and graduate of Mississippi State, Thomas was a
professional SAG actress, singer-songwriter and voice-over artist best known to
contemporary television viewers for her role as Audrey Carlisle, the wife of
mayor Coleman Carlisle (Robert Wisdom) in the first season of ABC’s "NASHVILLE".
She was also on "Drop Dead Diva" and "Army Wives". Her numerous
other television credits include guest appearances on "Criminal
Minds" and "Ellen". Her film career included working alongside Robin
Williams in the Nashville-shot "Boulevard", as well as roles in "The Identical" and "Captive". She and Divine were also in the documentary, "Who Killed the
Electric Car?".
As
a theater performer, she was most recently in the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s
2015 production of "Company". In 2013, she was awarded the Circle Award for
Best Supporting Actress as Shug Avery in "The Color Purple Musical".
As
a singer, she released two CDs
and shared the stage with Keb’Mo, Cliff Richmond and The Time Jumpers. Her
performance at the Ryman Auditorium as a guest soloist with Nashville
in Harmony garnered her a standing ovation. She also sang at Cannes Film
Festival’s AmPav and performed in shows for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and
Disney Sea in Tokyo.
Thomas
was a dedicated community volunteer. Among the many organizations she donated
her time to were TreePeople, Outfest, GLADD, Plug in America, ANSA,
Nashville Film Festival, POWER UP, Artists for a World without HIV, Fort
Campbell’s Barsanti Elementary and SAG’s BookPALS. She and Divine were also
avid supporters and frequenters of the Belcourt Theatre.
 |
| J.Karen Thomas performs at "Tunesmithing in December 2015. |
Bo
Sebastian, an actor, writer, life and health coach and friend of Thomas’, wrote
on Facebook this morning that she passed this morning “at the height of her
beautiful singing and acting talent.
“I
had the pleasure of working with her often enough to know her heart and her
inner voice,” he continued. “My soul aches at the loss of her humanness.”
It is asked at this time that flowers and plants not be
sent. A GoFundMe Page that
is still active was set up in January to help fund Thomas’ rising medical
costs. Arrangements have not yet been announced.
-- Joe Pagetta (March 26, 2015)
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