Degrassi stars pay tribute to Jahmil French following the Toronto actor's death at age 28 Stay in the loop Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details. Toronto-born actor Jahmil French, known for his roles on Degrassi: The Next Generation as well as Netflix's Soundtrack, has tragically passed away at the young age of 28. French starred in Degrassi as the beloved Dave Turner, and the news of his sudden death was announced on social media Monday night. Many of his Degrassi co-stars have since taken to Twitter to share tributes to the late Canadian actor, including Melinda Shankar — who played French's love interest Alli Bhandari on Degrassi.