Casey Coates, born Cassandra Coates on March 13, 1938, was an American environmental designer and activist.
She died on September 21, 2025, at age 88.
Who is Casey Coates?
Casey Coates was an American environmental designer, activist, and documentary producer. She built a career around sustainable architecture, renewable energy, and ocean conservation.
She held a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design. That training shaped decades of work designing solar-powered homes and advocating for clean energy.
Coates is also widely known as the former wife of actor Ted Danson. However, her environmental work stood as her own distinct legacy, separate from that marriage.
Early Life of Casey Coates
Cassandra Coates was born and raised on the north shore of Long Island, New York. Her mother worked as an artist, and her father was a musician.
That creative household shaped her early interests. As a child, she redesigned her own bedroom and painted raw wood, showing an early instinct for design.
She attended Great Neck High School before enrolling at Lasell College in Boston. Coates then spent a year studying in London before returning to New York.
Casey Coates Age
Casey Coates died on September 21, 2025, at the age of 88. She was born on March 13, 1938, making her zodiac sign Pisces.
Her death came decades after she built a career in environmental design and activism. Coates remained active in advocacy work well into her later years.
Casey Coates Ethnicity and Nationality
Casey Coates held American nationality. Some biographical sources describe her family as having Greek American roots.
She was born and raised in New York before later relocating to the West Coast. Her upbringing on Long Island shaped her early creative and environmental interests.
Casey Coates Height and Weight
Casey Coates’ height and weight are not publicly confirmed through a primary source.
She was known publicly more for her design work and activism than for her physical appearance. Coates largely stayed out of the celebrity spotlight after her divorce from Danson.
Casey Coates Education
Coates completed her early schooling at Great Neck High School in New York. She then attended Lasell College in Boston before spending a year studying in London.
After returning to New York, she enrolled at Parsons School of Design. She earned her BFA in Environmental Design there in 1975, graduating with honors.
That degree came during a period when solar tax incentives and sustainable design were gaining national attention. It set the direction for her entire professional career.
Casey Coates Career
Early Career in Design
After graduating from Parsons, Coates joined the Ben Thompson firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That role gave her early experience in architectural and environmental design work.
She later moved to the West Coast, where she continued designing sustainable spaces. Coates became known for designing solar-powered homes, including her own residence in Los Angeles.
Environmental Advocacy and Nonprofit Work
In 1987, Coates and Ted Danson co-founded the American Oceans Campaign, a nonprofit focused on ocean protection and restoration. That organization later merged with Oceana, one of the largest ocean conservation groups in the world.
In 1996, she founded Global Possibilities, a nonprofit dedicated to renewable energy education. Through that organization, she worked to promote solar power as a practical alternative to fossil fuels.
She served on the Board of Governors of Parsons School of Design and the Board of Directors of the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Coates also chaired the board of the Environmental Media Association, where she worked with Hollywood writers and showrunners to bring environmental messaging into scripts.
Documentary Work and Later Advocacy
Coates produced the one-hour documentary Who’s Got the Power, which focused on global warming and the benefits of renewable energy. The film aimed to make environmental science accessible to broader audiences.
She also served on the advisory board of the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Los Angeles. Coates continued environmental advocacy work through Global Possibilities for years after founding the organization.
Casey Coates Husband
Casey Coates married actor Ted Danson on December 24, 1977, after meeting him in 1976. The couple’s marriage coincided with the years Danson’s career rose through his role on Cheers.
They remained married for 16 years before divorcing in 1993. Reports at the time cited infidelity as a factor in the marriage’s end.
Danson later married actress Mary Steenburgen. Before marrying Coates, he had also been married to actress Randy Danson, whom he divorced in 1975.
Casey Coates Children
Casey Coates and Ted Danson had two daughters together. Their daughter Kate Danson, born in 1979, went on to work as an actress, photographer, and doula.
They also adopted a second daughter in the 1980s. That daughter has kept a private life away from public attention.
Coates suffered a stroke during Kate’s birth in 1979 due to undiagnosed high blood pressure. Danson paused his acting career at the time to help care for his wife and newborn daughter, and Coates worked through a lengthy recovery before regaining her mobility.
Casey Coates Net Worth
Casey Coates’ estimated net worth was $20 million as of 2026. Her income came from her environmental design work, documentary production, and settlement from her divorce from Ted Danson.
The Bottom Line
Casey Coates earned her BFA in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design in 1975 and went on to co-found the American Oceans Campaign with Ted Danson in 1987. That organization later merged with Oceana, one of the largest ocean conservation groups in the world.
She grew up in a creative Long Island household and designed her own solar-powered home in Los Angeles. Coates also produced the documentary Who’s Got the Power to bring climate science to wider audiences.
She continued her advocacy through Global Possibilities, the nonprofit she founded in 1996. Coates passed away on September 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
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