‘The Wire,' ‘Bosch' Actor Lance Reddick Dies at Age 60, Publicist Says

Actor Lance Reddick, who starred in "The Wire," "Bosch" and the "John Wick" action films, died Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles, a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said Reddick, 60, died of natural causes. He is survived by his wife and two children.

"Acclaimed actor Lance Reddick passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes," his publicist Mia Hansen said. "Lance will be greatly missed. Please respect his family’s privacy at this time."

Police responded to a home in Los Angeles' Valley Village area at about 9:30 a.m. Further details were not available.

A Baltimore native, Reddick was best known for portraying Cedric Daniels, the city's police lieutenant, in the HBO drama "The Wire." Reddick portrayed LAPD Chief Irving with a stern and sometimes sinister demeanor in the Amazon series "Bosch."

He played special agent Phillip Broyles on the Fox series "Fringe" and the mysterious Matthew Abaddon on "Lost," whose job was to get people to "where they needed to be." In the "John Wick" films, he played the highly capable and efficient Continental Hotel concierge Charon.

Reddick graduated from Yale University drama school. He landed roles on "CSI: Miami" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and in several movies before breaking through as an undercover officer sent to prison on HBO's "Oz."

“I’m an artist at heart," Reddick told the LA Times in 2009. "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."

TMZ reported that Reddick had been on a press tour for the most recent installment in the "John Wick" film franchise. He had a guest appearance scheduled next week for "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

The prolific actor's upcoming projects include 20th Century’s remake of "White Men Can’t Jump" and "Shirley," a Netflix biopic about former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. He also was to be part of "Ballerina," a "Wick" spinoff, and "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial."

"I was never interested in television," he told The Associated Press in 2011. "I always saw it as a means to an end. Like so many actors, I was only interested in doing theater 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.

"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 also was an accomplished musician, having studied classical composition at the Eastman School of Music. His first album, the jazzy "Contemplations and Remembrances," was released in 2011.

Word of his death drew tributes from his Hollywood colleagues and others.

"Lance Reddick was a beautiful and compelling actor," actor Ben Stiller said in a tweet. "And a beautiful person. He worked with my mom Anne Meara in her play 'Afterplay', playing Raziel, the waiter slash angel of death. He was exquisite in that and all he did."

Reddick was nominated for a SAG Award in 2021 as part of the cast for Regina King’s film "One Night in Miami."

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Lance Reddick," the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA tweeted, describing him as "a passionate and dedicated performer."