John Wick's Lance Reddick has died

Virgin Radio

18 Mar 2023, 21:03

'The Wire' star was just 60 years old.

Actor Lance Reddick, who gained prominence for his role as Cedric Daniels in the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire and as Charon in the John Wick franchise, has died.

Aged 60, his publicist, Mia Hansen, confirmed that Reddick died suddenly of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, California. Hansen released a statement, saying, "Lance will be greatly missed. Please respect his family's privacy at this time."

He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, as well as a daughter, Yvonne Nicole Reddick, and a son, Christopher Reddick.

The Baltimore born actor had been in the middle of a press tour for the fourth John Wick film, John Wick: Chapter 4, which is scheduled to release on March 24th, 2023. He was also set to appear in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, alongside Ana de Armas.

Throughout his 25 year career, Reddick appeared in films and television shows including the science fiction-action movie Godzilla vs. Kong and the Netflix series Resident Evil. He was also known for his voice acting work, which included the animated TV series Rick and Morty.

Reddick was a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where he earned a bachelor's degree in classical music.

In 2021, he received a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nomination for his role in the film One Night in Miami alongside fellow cast members.

Reddick told the Los Angeles Times in 2009 that he felt like an "artist at heart". 

"When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as 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 that I would be," he said at the time.

His breakout role came as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in The Wire, an HBO series that ran from 2002 to 2008 and examined the narcotics scene in Baltimore from the perspective of law enforcement as well as drug dealers and users. 

Reddick told the Guardian in 2010 that he thought the show would be a "hit" but did not anticipate it "would become this phenomenon".

Reddick's death comes two years after the death of his The Wire co-star Michael K. Williams, who died of an overdose in 2021. Last year, four people were charged for allegedly selling the drugs that Williams took before his death.