Lance Reddick Dies: Stars Pay Tribute to ‘The Wire’ & ‘Bosch’ Star

Isaac Rouse
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Lance Reddick visits The IMDb Show
Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

Lance Reddick, star for his role in the hit series The Wire and the popular action movie franchise John Wick, has died at 60 years old.

The actor was found in his Studio City home on Friday, March 17, around 9:30 AM by law enforcement, according to TMZ.

Reddick had been in the middle of doing a press tour for the latest John Wick 4 film in which he reprised his role as Charon and was scheduled to guest appear next week on Kelly Clarkson’s show.

THE WIRE, Lance Reddick, (Season 1), 2002-08. © HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection

HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Keanu Reeves and stuntman Chad Stahelski released a statement to Variety mourning the loss of their fellow John Wick cast member, writing, “We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick. He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him dearly.”

Outside of John Wick, the Oz alum is best known for playing fictional Baltimore Police Department officer Cedrick Daniels on the hit HBO series The Wire, appearing in all five seasons.

“A man of great strength and grace,” fellow The Wire alum Wendell Pierce wrote online. “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”

He’s known for other television works like Fringe, Lost, Castlevania, Resident Evil, and Bosch, where he played Los Angeles city councilman Irvin Irving. He’s also made several big screen appearances in films like Godzilla Vs. Kong and Angel Has Fallen.

Lance also had a few upcoming projects in the works. He depicts the Greek god Zeus in the upcoming Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Lance earned a music degree from the University of Rochester and his MFA from Yale. When he initially auditioned for the roles of Bubbles and Bunk Moreland in The Wire, he was cast as Daniels, setting up his three largest television roles as a police commander.

Wendell Pierce Shares His Defining 'The Wire' Memory With Michael K. Williams
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Wendell Pierce Shares His Defining 'The Wire' Memory With Michael K. Williams

In 2008, he was cast as the head of an FBI department investigating paranormal activities, Phillip Broyles, in Fringe alongside fellow Oz alum Kirk Acevedo and Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams, where he also made reoccurring appearances.

In 2014, he was cast as the chief of police turned councilman in Bosch.

Lance was also known for video game work in titles like 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn.

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

Check out a few tributes below.

Lance Reddick



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  1. O

    OrangeStrawberry

    This truly breaks my heart. He was in The Wire, Bosch and everything that he does.

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  2. P

    PurpleButterfly

    Every show that matters featured Lance Reddick. I will miss him.

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  3. G

    GreenButton

    RIP. Stunned by this news, Mr Reddick was a great actor who created utterly unique characters. His work on The Wire was legendary.

    His portrayal of Irvin Irving (on Bosch) redefined the character from the novels from a 2 dimensional bureaucratic villain on the page into a complex, nuanced character onscreen, a sometimes ally of Harry Bosch you occasionally rooted for, felt for -and someone you could never take your eyes off of. I was just wondering when the next season of Bosch Legacy would air and if Mr. Reddick might make an appearance.

    Btw- correction: On Bosch Irvin Irving was always a highly placed police official, eventually chief of police. He was never a city councilman.

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  4. R

    RedPalmtree

    A professional in every way.

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    OrangePin

    So sad. Shocked. When he was in a scene, you were focused on him. The way he said Bosch every time he had to deal with Bosch was hilarious! His walk was second only to John Wayne.

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