Samantha Weinstein, Carrie and voice actress, dies at 28

Samantha Weinstein, the Canadian actress best known for starring in the 2013 Carrie remake and voicing many beloved animated characters, has died from cancer. She was 28.

Weinstein's family announced on her Instagram account that she died while surrounded by loved ones at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto on May 14.

"After two and a half years of cancer treatment, and a lifetime of jet setting around the world, voicing a plethora of cartoon animals, making music, and knowing more about life than most people ever will, she is off on her next adventure," they captioned the post, sharing a series of photos of Weinstein smiling in front of a galactic backdrop.

Weinstein began working in entertainment at age six and appeared in several films throughout her childhood and teenage years like 2008's The Rocker, 2011's Jesus Henry Christ, and the 2013 Carrie remake alongside Chloë Grace Moretz. A talented voice actress, she also portrayed several characters on many popular cartoons, including Sloan Plunderman in D.N. Ace, Jalopi in Kingdom Force, and Clara Tinhorn in Dino Ranch.

Jemal Countess/Getty Samantha Weinstein

In January 2021, Weinstein, then 25, revealed on her Instagram that she was recovering from "emergency surgery to remove a massive cyst that swallowed one of my ovaries." Three months later, she took to her account again to announce that she had been privately "battling a rare form of ovarian cancer for the past 3 months" and planned to document her health journey to help inspire others similarly fighting the disease.

"I'm a firm believer that representation in media matters, and cancer treatment is no different. Cancer can affect anyone — I'm living proof of that," she wrote. "I figure that if someone else out there with cancer sees me going through it, maybe it will give them a shred of strength too."

Last July, Weinstein penned an article for the website LoveWhatMatters about receiving her cancer diagnosis, falling in love, and her experience coming out as non-binary.

"Something I've learned in the 18 months since I was first diagnosed, is the worst things in the world can turn out to be incredible blessings wrapped in sandpaper," she wrote. "Getting cancer is the worst thing that's ever happened to me, but in the strangest of ways it has also been the best thing."

"I'm still living with cancer, and with my parents since the future is uncertain (on the bright side, we've never been closer!). I continue to work in my dream career as a voice actor," she continued. "I have more love in my life and for myself than I ever could have imagined, and I see every day as a gift. There are still days where I can't stop crying – I'm in pain, or my thoughts get the better of me – but I'm learning to let my loved ones help carry the load. Okay, so maybe saying cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me is a bit of a stretch, but it certainly isn't a witch's curse either… and if it is, then that witch certainly has a sense of humor."

Weinstein is survived by her family and her husband, Michael Knutson, whom she married last October. At the ceremony, the pair shared a charming first dance to The Velveteins' "Don't Yah Feel Better" and went toe-to-toe in an epic lightsaber battle set to Star Wars' legendary "Duel of the Fates."

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