American actor Lance Reddick, who appeared in major TV series like HBO’s “The Wire,” Fox’s “Fringe” and films like the “John Wick” franchise, died of natural causes Friday morning, Variety has confirmed with his reps.
He was 60. He was found dead at his Studio City home in Los Angeles Friday morning, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
In the upcoming “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which is set to release in theatres on March 24, Reddick reprises his role as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York City who appeared in all four entries.
Charon worked alongside Keanu Reeve’s un-retired hitman, notably looking after John’s new dog in the second instalment and joining in on the gun-toting action in the third movie.
Reddick was also slated to appear in the upcoming “Ballerina” spinoff, starring Ana de Armas.
Reddick’s first major TV role came in Season 4 of HBO’s prison drama “Oz” in 2000. He played Detective Johnny Basil, an undercover officer who tries to shut down the drug trade but soon becomes an addict himself and murders a corrupt cop by pushing him down an elevator shaft.
After being sent to Oz, Basil gets stabbed to death by Seth Gilliam’s character Clayton Hughes.
HBO kept Reddick around and later cast him as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels, one of the leads, on “The Wire” in 2002.
He was in charge of the narcotics division and slowly rose through its ranks during the show’s five-season run, butting heads frequently with his superiors. In the show’s finale, he resigned from his post as commissioner and became a criminal defense lawyer.
Source: Variety.com