Beau Jessup’s death at 27 has cut short a life full of promise. The daughter of television star Lisa Maxwell was studying journalism at Columbia, preparing to tell other people’s stories while finding her own voice.
Now, an interview shared in her memory offers a heartbreaking glimpse of the young woman who was building a bright and meaningful futu… Continues…
Columbia Journalism School announced Beau’s death on November 9, extending condolences to her family, friends and classmates. The university said it was working with her family to provide support; no details surrounding her death have been made public. Beau, whose parents are Lisa Maxwell and Paul Jessup, had been expected to graduate in May 2027. Before Columbia, she earned a master’s in Writing for Performance at Cambridge and wrote her first play, The Sandbag.
With her family’s permission, Columbia published an October interview exploring her aspirations. Beau described how growing up around television shaped her awareness of the gap between people’s lives and their public portrayal. She hoped to cover people, culture and social questions while continuing to write for theater. Her mother, known for The Bill and Loose Women, once recalled their laughter and close bond—memories that now sit alongside Beau’s own words about the storyteller she wanted to become.
