lit a candle 5h agoMy mother called me here in Lisbon to tell me this, she still watches Grey's Anatomy reruns and saw the post from Washington. A year had already passed since she died and nobody knew. That part stayed with me more than anything else.
Their story
Jenisa Marie Garland was known to the public mainly as the wife of actor Isaiah Washington, an American actor who came to prominence as Dr. Preston Burke in Grey's Anatomy (2005-2007; 2014) and who began his career collaborating with director Spike Lee on the films Crooklyn (1994) and Clockers (1995).…
Jenisa Marie Garland was known to the public mainly as the wife of actor Isaiah Washington, an American actor who came to prominence as Dr. Preston Burke in Grey's Anatomy (2005-2007; 2014) and who began his career collaborating with director Spike Lee on the films Crooklyn (1994) and Clockers (1995). Jenisa Washington, a fashion designer, met Isaiah at a dinner party in Los Angeles and the couple had three children together. Washington and Garland married in 1996, and their marriage lasted 29 years.
Garland kept a low public profile throughout her marriage, rarely giving interviews or discussing her life publicly. Her husband later said in his announcement of her death that Jenisa Washington was extremely private, which is consistent with how little was known about her outside her connection to her husband's career. Beyond her work in fashion design and her role as a mother, few details of her education, early life, or professional history have been made public.
Garland's death became public knowledge in an unusual way. The former Grey's Anatomy star shared the news on Instagram on Saturday 3 October 2026, explaining that Jenisa collapsed suddenly on May 31, 2025, and died nine days later on June 9. She succumbed to a massive hemorrhagic stroke and never recovered. Her death had not been announced at the time it happened, and the family had grieved privately for more than a year.
In confirming the news, Washington began his post by writing, "Yes...the rumors are true," before describing how his dear wife of 29 years collapsed suddenly and passed away days later. He went on to urge followers to make an appointment with their doctor if they are experiencing headaches, warning that some headaches are not just headaches or migraines but can be a warning sign of something much worse. He added that Jenisa Washington, who valued her privacy, left behind three children to continue her legacy after being married to Isaiah Washington for 29 years.
The announcement prompted messages from his celebrity followers, with Viola Davis writing "So very sorry Isaiah," while Debi Mazar added her own condolences. Garland was never a public figure in her own right, but the long delay between her death and its disclosure, together with her husband's fame, made the news widely reported across entertainment outlets.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Yahoo.
Photos
1by People Forever
Same, I only found out today too, strange how long he waited.