Beau Jessup, the 27-year-old daughter of British actress and television presenter Lisa Maxwell, has died while studying for a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Her cause of death remains unknown as Columbia Journalism School confirmed Jessup’s death in a statement, extending condolences to her family, friends and classmates. The institution did not disclose the cause or circumstances of her death.
“Columbia Journalism School mourns the loss of Beau Jessup, a student in our M.S. program,” the school said in its official statement, adding that it was working with her family to provide support and assistance during the difficult time.
Jessup was expected to graduate in May 2027 as part of Columbia’s Class of 2027.
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Columbia publishes Beau Jessup interview in her memory
Following her death, Columbia News published an interview with Jessup conducted in October for its student-focused Notebook series, with permission from her family and encouragement from the Journalism School community.
In the November 11 tribute, the university said the discussion offered a glimpse into Jessup’s interests, experiences and aspirations.
Jessup had previously studied social anthropology at the London School of Economics and writing for performance at the University of Cambridge. She said those experiences helped shape her interest in cultural journalism and the relationship between institutions, identity and social expectations.
“As the daughter of a television actress, I grew up with an unusual awareness of the distance between people’s lives and the stories told about them,” Jessup said in the interview.
She described journalism as a way to illuminate people’s experiences while also warning that stories can be distorted or simplified when they become public narratives.
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Entrepreneurial ventures and journalism ambitions
Before enrolling at Columbia, Jessup had launched several entrepreneurial initiatives, including Beau’s Community Bakes, a newspaper column that used recipes to encourage conversations with older people experiencing loneliness or social isolation.
She also founded SpecialName, a website designed to help Chinese parents select English names for their children. The venture attracted international attention and led to a TEDx talk.
Jessup said the projects reflected her interest in connecting with people rather than simply building businesses.
She hoped to work as a journalist and writer covering people, culture and social issues, while continuing to write for theatre.
Her mother, Maxwell, had celebrated her admission to Columbia’s Class of 2027 on social media in September, expressing pride in her daughter’s academic journey.