Lance Reddick, an actor in the popular HBO series The Wire, has died aged 60, according to US media outlets.
Reddick was also known for starring as Charon in the John Wick action-thriller movie franchise.
The musician and actor died suddenly of natural causes on Friday in his Los Angeles home, his publicist said.
Police were called to the actor’s house around 09:30 local time (16:30 GMT), the publicist told US media.
In a statement, his publicist Mia Hansen said, “Lance will be greatly missed.” At this time, please respect the privacy of his family.”
Reddick was in the middle of a press tour for the fourth John Wick film, which is scheduled to come out on March 24.
He will also appear alongside Ana de Armas in the upcoming Ballerina spinoff of John Wick.
During his 25-year acting career, Baltimore-born Reddick appeared in more than a dozen films and television shows.
In the John Wick films, he played Charon, the hotel concierge at The Continental Hotel, a New York City criminal underworld hub. He made appearances in the first film, its two sequels, and the fourth installment.
In addition, the actor was well-known for his breakthrough role as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in The Wire, a 2002–2008 television series that examined the narcotics scene in Baltimore from the perspectives of both drug dealers and users and law enforcement.
In 2010, Reddick stated to the Guardian that while he expected the show to be a “hit,” he did not anticipate that it would “become this phenomenon.”
The actor starred in the Godzilla vs. Kong science fiction-action film and the Resident Evil Netflix series.
He was also well-known for his work as a voice actor, most notably on the television series Rick and Morty.
Reddick received a bachelor’s degree in classical music from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music before enrolling at Yale’s School of Drama.
Together with other cast members, he was nominated for a SAG Award in 2021 for his role in One Night in Miami.
His wife, Stephanie, a daughter named Yvonne Nicole Reddick, and a son named Christopher Reddick are his surviving members.
In 2009, Reddick stated to the Los Angeles Times that he was an “artist at heart.”
He stated at the time, “When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as the other students, but because I was a black man and I wasn’t pretty, I knew I would have to work my butt off to be the best I could be.”
Reddick’s co-star Michael K Williams, who played Omar in The Wire, passed away from an overdose two years earlier. Four people were accused of selling the drugs Williams used before his death last year.
