'The Wire' Star Lance Reddick Dead At 60 After Missing 'John Wick 4' Premiere, Fans & Stars Pay Tribute

Lance Reddick, who was best known for starring in the "John Wick" franchise and playing the role of Cedric Daniels in the TV series "The Wire," has passed away at the age of 60. The actor reportedly died on Friday of natural causes.

Reddick was found at his Studio City, California residence and declared deceased. This unfortunate news comes one day after he shared a picture of himself on Instagram cuddling his three dogs in honor of National Puppy Day. 

Reddick was supposed to attend the Wednesday premiere of "John Wick 4" alongside co-star Keanu Reeves but did not show up and provided no explanation. He was also meant to make an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. 

Read on to find out more.

Lance Reddick was declared dead in his home at 9:30 am on March 17th, 2023. He shared three photos with his dogs on his Instagram page the day before to celebrate National Puppy Day. In the caption, he wrote, "On screen and off, it's no surprise I love spoiling my dogs."

Prior to this, the star was absent from the "John Wick 4" premiere, which he planned to attend alongside co-star Reaves. The actor was also slated to appear on an episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" next week as well.

While the main cause of his death is yet to be revealed, there are no reports of any underlying health conditions. According to Daily Mail, Reddick passed away from "natural" causes. The star was survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and kids, Christopher Reddick and Yvonne Nicole Reddick.

Reddick's family, friends, and fans wrote sweet tributes to him following news of his passing. His co-star on "The Wire," Wendell Pierce, called the actor a "man of great strength and grace" and noted how talented he was. Pierce added, per Deadline, "The epitome of class. A sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family."

Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn also left a message for Reddick and wished his family well. Gunn wrote, "Lance Reddick was an incredibly nice guy, and an incredibly talented actor. This is heartbreaking. My love goes out to all his family, friends, and collaborators." Fans showed their love for Reddick by sharing their best clips of him from different on-screen appearances.

A Twitter user wrote, "RIP Lance Reddick. One of my favorite actors and the only person to ever scare Eric André," referring to an appearance on "The Eric Andre Show" where Reddick startled the host. "Always gave the performance of his life in anything he was in from 'John Wick' to 'The Wire' to 'Fringe.' He will be dearly missed."

Roddick rose to fame with his role as Detective Johnny Basil on "Oz," which ran from 1997 to 2003. The Baltimore-born star originally dreamed of becoming a musician, which led him to study at the Peabody Preparatory Institute.

Roddick earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music. However, he switched to acting and began his journey at the Yale School of Drama. He then received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1994 before properly beginning his acting career.

The actor and musician landed lead roles in several critically acclaimed films during his 25-year-long acting career. He starred in the highly-rated HBO crime drama "The Wire," which ran from 2002 to 2008. Reddick starred alongside Idris Elba and Dominic West as Cedric Daniels.

Reddick landed several other roles before playing Charon in the highly successful action franchise "John Wick" in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2023. In the film series, Charon is a concierge and the best friend of John Wick (played by Reeves), who tries to help him in the best way possible. Reddick

Reddick's acting career will also be remembered with his role in the Netflix series "Resident Evil," and shows like "Bosch," "Lost," and "Fringe," and appearances in "Angel Has Fallen" and "Godzilla vs. Kong."