Actor Lance Reddick, who played steely Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in hit TV show 'The Wire', has died at the age of 60. Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP
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 (4.30am today NZT), the publicist told US media.
"Lance will be greatly missed," his publicist, Mia Hansen, said in a statement. "Please respect his family's privacy at this time."
Reddick had been in the middle of a press tour for the fourth instalment of the John Wick movies, which is slated to be released on 24 March.
He is also set to appear in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas.
Reddick, a native of Baltimore, appeared in more than a dozen films and shows during his 25-year acting career.
He was Charon, the hotel concierge at a New York criminal underground hub called The Continental Hotel in the John Wick movies. He appeared in the original movie, its two sequels and is set to appear in the fourth instalment.
The actor was also known for his breakout role as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in The Wire, a 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".
The actor was in the Resident Evil Netflix series and the science fiction-action movie Godzilla vs. Kong.
He was known for his voice acting work as well, including for the TV series Rick and Morty.
Reddick studied classical music at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in New York, where he received a bachelor's degree before attending the Yale School of Drama.
He earned a SAG Award nomination in 2021 along with fellow cast members for his role in the film One Night in Miami.
The actor is survived by his wife, Stephanie, as well as a daughter, Yvonne Nicole Reddick, and a son, Christopher Reddick.
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 death comes two years after Reddick's co-star Michael K Williams, who played Omar in The Wire, died of an overdose. Last year, four people were charged for allegedly selling the drugs that Williams took before his death.
- BBC