Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Lisa Lynn Masters, an actress who grew up in Asheville and was crowned Miss Asheville in 1983, was found dead in a Lima, Peru, hotel, according to reports. She was 52.
Masters was known for roles in several popular television shows, including Ugly Betty, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Gossip Girl. Masters was working in Peru. Police are investigating her death as a suicide.
Masters was born in Nebraska but grew up in Asheville. She was crowned Miss Asheville in 1983 and went on to start a career as a television journalist, according to The Mirror. Masters’ IMDB profile notes that she graduated from Appalachian State University with a major degree in broadcasting with a minor in modern dance. After a photographer “discovered” Masters in a local restaurant, she moved to New York City to model, The Mirror reports. She attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism to earn her master’s degree while working through Ford Models, according to IMDB.
Masters was found dead by employees at the Nuevo Mundo hotel in Lima shortly before midnight on Tuesday, according to reports.
Masters credits include TV commercials and features such as 2004’s The Stepford Wives and Blumenthal. She also appeared in several TV series, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and SVU, Royal Pains, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl and most recently Nashville, according to her credits.
Masters is survived by her husband, William. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to raise money to bring Masters’ body back to Asheville, where she will be buried. Here’s the official obituary for Lisa Lynn Masters.
