- published: 06 May 2009
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Jessica Madison "Jessie" Jacobs (14 November 1990 – 10 May 2008) was an Australian actress and singer. She was known for her roles in children's television series in Australia including The Saddle Club, Fergus McPhail, and Holly's Heroes.
Born in Canberra, Australia, Jacobs began acting when she was 9. She was in stage productions, for example alongside Lisa McCune and Bert Newton in The Sound of Music. In "The Saddle Club", she played Melanie Atwood, Ashley's best friend and Lisa's kid sister. She rode a pony called Dime, and had intensive riding lessons from the age of six.
On 10 May 2008 Jessica Jacobs was walking along the platform at Cheltenham station when she fainted - from what was later theorised by the coroner to be a heart episode - and fell onto the tracks and into the path of an oncoming train. She died instantly from her injuries when the train hit her. That day she was on the way to meet her mother so they could buy a birthday present for her brother, Adam. Jacobs was 17 at the time of her death. The police took several hours to find the family because the teenager, who was arriving home from an overnight stay with a friend, was carrying fake ID. She is buried at St Kilda Cemetery in St Kilda, Victoria.