Kelley Mack’s Journey: From Cincinnati to Hollywood Spotlight
Some faces make a real mark on TV, and Kelley Mack—Addy from The Walking Dead—was one of those. Kelley Lynne Klebenow, born in Cincinnati in 1992, didn’t spend her whole life in Ohio. She grew up traveling between states, carrying a dream for something bigger. After finishing high school, she chased her creative ambitions straight to Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film in California. There, she earned a degree in cinematography in 2014, showing early on that she wanted to tell stories from both sides of the camera.
Kelley didn’t just settle into acting. She moved to Los Angeles and started hustling in every corner of the entertainment business—writing, producing, acting, and even working in voiceovers. This wasn’t the usual fresh-face-in-Hollywood story. She made a name for herself on TV, but she also booked gigs most of us see every day, even if we don’t know it’s her—like voicing national ads for Hyundai Ioniq and Credit Karma or starring in Dr Pepper’s goofy ‘Fansville’ campaign. Kelley was never just the girl from that zombie show.
A Fierce Battle with Diffuse Midline Glioma
In early 2025, Kelley used her Instagram to open up about something scary—she’d been hit with a diagnosis of diffuse midline glioma, a rare and aggressive brain cancer. She described how it started: nagging back pain, then shooting aches in her legs that just wouldn’t quit. It wasn’t something you’d expect from a young actress in her early 30s, but cancer, especially a sneaky one like this, never asks for permission.
Diffuse midline glioma is no ordinary tumor. Most people haven’t even heard of it—these cancers are a type of astrocytoma, often difficult to treat, because they hit in the brain and central nervous system. When Kelley went public, she did it to raise awareness, not just about her own fight, but for others walking the same hard road.
Kelley’s battle ended on August 2, 2025, in her hometown of Cincinnati. She spent her final days surrounded by her mother, Kristen Klebenow, and her aunt, Karen. Her family described her as a ‘bright, fervent light,’ a phrase that stuck with every friend and fan who followed her story. And if you talk to those close to her, they’re absolutely certain she’s left signs she’s still around—some even say she visits in the shape of butterflies.
Beyond The Walking Dead, Kelley didn’t stop working. She popped up on other TV favorites like Chicago Med and 911, proving she had the range to do more than horror. But for fans, Addy from Hilltop—the character who suffered one of the series’ infamous deaths—is a lasting memory. Fun fact: Addy’s reanimated head later made a haunting appearance on a pike, one of the show’s most talked-about moments.
Kelley leaves behind a spread-out and loving family: parents Kristen and Lindsay, younger siblings Katherine and Parker, grandparents Lois and Larry, and her longtime boyfriend, Logan Lanier. To honor her, people will gather for a celebration of life in Glendale, Ohio, on August 16, with a Los Angeles farewell planned for those from her Hollywood circle.
Kelley wasn’t just an actress; she was a storyteller, a friend, a daughter, and someone who chased every creative dream until she simply couldn’t anymore. Her story isn’t just about loss—it’s proof that you can make noise in this world, no matter how long you have to do it.
