Actor Lance Reddick, known for The Wire and John Wick roles, dead at 60

Lance Reddick, an actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including The Wire, Fringe and the John Wick franchise, has died. He was 60.

Reddick died "suddenly" Friday morning, his publicist Mia Hansen said in a statement, attributing his death to natural causes. His death was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.com.

Tributes flashed across social media after news of the death, with filmmaker James Gunn calling Reddick "an incredibly nice guy and an incredibly talented actor" in a tweet and Wendell Pierce, Reddick's co-star on The Wire, paying tribute on Twitter: "A man of great strength and grace," he wrote. "As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class."

Reddick was often put in a suit or a crisp uniform during his career, playing tall, taciturn and elegant men of distinction. He was best known for his role as straight-laced Lt. Cedric Daniels on the hit HBO series The Wire, where his character was agonizingly trapped in the messy politics of the Baltimore Police Department.

"I'm an artist at heart. I feel that I'm very good at what I do. 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, and to be noticed," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.

WATCH | Reddick speaks to George Stroumboulopoulos in 2012:

Lance Reddick

12 years ago

Duration 13:57

Lance Reddick discusses his roles on 'The Wire' and 'Fringe', and his multi-faceted career.

Reddick also starred on the Fox series Fringe as special agent Phillip Broyles, the smartly dressed Matthew Abaddon on Lost and played the multi-skilled Continental Hotel concierge Charon in the John Wick movies, including the fourth in the series opening this month.

"The world of Wick would not be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unparalleled depth he brought to Charon's humanity and unflappable charisma. Lance leaves behind an indelible legacy and hugely impressive body of work, but we will remember him as our lovely, joyful friend and concierge," Lionsgate said in a statement.

John Wick — Chapter Four will be dedicated to Reddick, director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves said in a statement, adding they were "deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss."

He earned a SAG Award nomination in 2021 as part of the ensemble for Regina King's film One Night in Miami. Reddick also played recurring roles on Intelligence and American Horror Story and was on the show Bosch for its seven-year run.

The Baltimore-born-and-raised Reddick was a Yale University drama school graduate who enjoyed some success after school by landing guest or recurring roles on CSI: Miami and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He also appeared in several movies, including I Dreamed of Africa, The Siege and Great Expectations.

It was on season four of Oz, playing a doomed undercover officer sent to prison who becomes an addict, that Reddick had a career breakthrough.

"I was never interested in television. I always saw it as a means to an end. Like so many actors, I was only interested in doing theatre and film. But Oz changed television. It was the beginning of HBO's reign on quality, edgy, artistic stuff. Stuff that harkens back to great cinema of the '60s and '70s," he told The Associated Press in 2011.

"When the opportunity for Oz came up, I jumped. And when I read the pilot for The Wire, as a guy that never wanted to be on television, I realized I had to be on this show."

Reddick attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he studied classical composition and played piano. His first album, the jazzy Contemplations and Remembrances, came out in 2011.

He also provided the voice of Zavala in the sci-fi video game series Destiny, and after news of his death broke, players gathered in the game for a virtual wake.

Reddick had a recurring role as Jeffrey Tetazoo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, on CBS's Intelligence. On American Horror Story: Coven, Reddick portrayed Papa Legba, the go-between between humanity and the spirit world.

Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.