Lance Reddick, who was known for his role in the John Wick film franchise and in HBO’s The Wire, has passed away. He was 60.
Mia Hansen, Reddick’s representative said he passed away from natural causes on Friday morning, in an official statement obtained by USA Today
“He will be missed,” Hansen said.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Reddick was a classically-trained musician, graduating from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, with a Bachelor of Music degree. Later, he took up acting which he thought would be the foundation of his music career. At 29, he enrolled at the Yale School of Drama where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree and began appearing in several regional plays in theaters throughout the area.
Following his appearance in HBO’s The Corner, in 2002, he landed his breakout role playing Narcotics Unit Lt.Cedric Daniels, one of the central characters in The Wire, after auditioning for the roles of Bunk Moreland and Bubbles. A critically-acclaimed series, The Wire is still regarded as one of the most important of its genre.
“I thought it would be a hit but I didn’t anticipate that it would take so long to catch on, or that it would become this phenomenon,” Reddick said in an interview with The Guardian. “Or that it would be so ignored by the industry. That really floored me, because I knew how good we were; we all did.”
Reddick played Charon in the action-thriller film John Wick and reprised his role in the two subsequent sequels. One of his final roles was in John Wick: Chapter 4, which is set to be released on March 24, 2023.
Over the course of his remarkable career, Reddick voiced several animated series, including The Legend of Vox Machina, Paradise PD and The Vindicators.
In 2021, he earned a SAG Award nomination as a part of the ensemble of One Night in Miami, Regina King’s film directorial debut. Reddick also had recurring roles on Intelligence and American Horror Story; he was also on Bosch for seven years.
Wendell Pierce, who played Bunk in The Wire, paid tribute to Reddick in a post on Twitter.
“A man of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. A sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family,” his post read. “An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here. RIP”
A man of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. An sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here. RIP pic.twitter.com/Xy0pl5c4NR
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) March 17, 2023
Reddick is survived by his wife Stephanie Day and their two children.
We at EBONY extend our prayers and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lance Reddick.
