Nathan Louis Jackson, the nationally-renowned and award-winning theater playwright and writer for the series phenomenon “Luke Cage,” has died. He was 44.
Jackson’s death was confirmed by his family in a statement obtained by his hometown newspaper, the Kansas City Star.
“Jackson’s work often showcased his love for his hometown,” the statement reads. “Having lived and worked on both coasts, Nathan’s heart belonged in Kansas City.”
Born and reared in Kansas City, Missouri, Jackson procured his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and his graduate degree from The Juilliard School, a world-renowned arts institution in New York.
It was in Manhattan that Jackson saw two of his plays put into production, one of which was Broke-ology, based on a Black man and his two adult sons in Kansas City, Kansas, which is just on the other side of the Missouri-Kansas state line from Kansas City, Missouri. The other was entitled When I Come to Die, which details how a death-row inmate survives lethal injection.
After making a name for himself on the national scene, Jackson returned to his Kansas City hometown to take over as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at Kansas City’s Repertory Theatre in 2013. He helped to reproduce the stage plays Broke-ology and When I Come to Die, them moved on to Sticky Traps in 2015 about a Kansas mother’s efforts to repel a church’s efforts to protest her gay son’s funeral. In 2018, he put on Brother Toad which centered around the Second Amendment amid a torrent of gun violence.
Jackson received accolades for his work as he was bestowed two Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Awards, a Mark Twain Comedy Playwriting Award and the Kennedy Center’s Gold Medallion.
Jackson also traveled frequently to Los Angeles and New York to write for iconic television shows such as “Luke Cage,” “Shameless,” “Southland” and “13 Reasons Why.” He maintained a lifelong advocacy of the Kansas City Chief, the city’s arts community and the town’s notable barbeque.
Jackson leaves behind his wife, Megan Mascorro-Jackson, and two children, Amaya and Savion Jackson.
