Lance Reddick, Star of The Wire and John Wick, Dies at 60

Lance Reddick, the actor known for his work on The Wire and in the John Wick film franchise, died Friday morning. He was 60. 

“Acclaimed actor Lance Reddick passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes,” his publicist confirmed to Vanity Fair. 

Reddick was a prolific actor who worked across both film and television, with roles on HBO’s Oz, Amazon’s Bosch, and Netflix’s Resident Evil. But he was perhaps best known for his role as the ambitious and tough Lieutenant Cedric Daniels on The Wire. David Simon’s police drama introduced him to many television viewers. “It really became a worldwide phenomenon through people sharing the DVDs all over the world,” Reddick told GQ in 2019, adding, “It’s an iconic piece of history and I feel very fortunate and proud of the work we did with that.” 

More recently, Reddick appeared in the John Wick movies as Charon, a concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York. The fourth movie in the franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4, premieres March 24, and Reddick had recently been doing promotional work for the film. He was also expected to reprise his role in Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas. 

Reddick was born in Baltimore and developed a passion for music at a young age. He played piano and studied classical music composition at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. But after suffering an injury while working as a struggling musician in Boston, he turned his attention to acting. He studied at Yale School of Drama and began booking television roles in the mid-1990s. Over the years, he appeared in projects as varied as Lost, Fringe, and Comedy Central’s Corporate. 

Throughout his career, Reddick remained devoted to music, even releasing an album, Contemplations & Remembrances, in 2007. He also lent his talents to video games such as Destiny and Horizon Zero Dawn. In addition to his work in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4 and Ballerina, Reddick is expected to appear posthumously in the White Men Can’t Jump remake out in May and in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for Disney+. 

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