Beloved actor Lance Reddick‘s sudden, tragic passing earlier today has left many fans and members of the industry utterly stunned. The star was just about to take the big screen once again with John Wick: Chapter 4, returning as the Continental’s steadfast concierge Charon. He’s shown how much he had to offer to acting, whether in prestige television series like The Wire, blockbusters like White House Down, or even within the world of video games like Horizon Zero Dawn, and it seemed, until now, like he had so much left to give. Celebrities from all around Hollywood are now mourning his passing, whether they worked alongside him or just deeply respect him.
Of course, there’s been no shortage of support from Reddick’s old friends from The Wire. Cedric Daniels was a career-defining role for the actor, making him a star among stars in what is widely considered one of the greatest shows of all time. One of his co-stars, Isiah Whitlock Jr., was deeply saddened by Reddick’s passing, saying on Twitter, “Shocked and saddened by the news that Lance Reddick has passed away. Truly heartbreaking. R.I.P. My friend. You will be missed. God speed.”
Wendell Pierce gave a heartfelt tribute to all that Reddick was to him – a close friend, a consummate professional, and an immensely skilled artist. His statement read, “A man of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. A 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.”
Series creator David Simon was devastated by the news of Reddick’s passing, commenting on the sudden and far too early nature of his death to The Hollywood Reporter. “A consummate professional, a devoted collaborator, a lovely soul and a friend. This is just gutting and way, way, way too soon for any of us who knew and loved him to contemplate.”
Reddick’s John Wick Family Bids Farewell to Charon
In more recent years, fans grew to love Reddick all over again as a key member of the John Wick universe. Director Chad Stahelski and series star Keanu Reeves honored both his importance to the franchise and the love they had for him as a person in a joint statement. It reads, “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.”
Lionsgate followed up with a proper sendoff to Charon, adding:
The world of Wick would not be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unparalleled depth he brought to Charon’s humanity and unflappable charisma. Lance leaves behind an indelible legacy and hugely impressive body of work, but we will remember him as our lovely, joyful friend and Concierge. We’re stunned and heartbroken, and our deepest condolences go to his beloved family and his fans all around the world.
The official John Wick: Chapter 4 Twitter continued with a photo of Charon and another farewell to Reddick:
Read More Touching Tributes to Reddick Below
Among others left stunned by the loss of Reddick is comedian Patton Oswalt. Though the two never shared the screen together in any projects, Oswalt was nonetheless upset at the news. He tried to lighten the mood with a bit of humor and outrage toward the grim reaper, writing on Twitter, “Unacceptable. Death, I want your badge and scythe on my desk at 9am tomorrow.”
DCU Head James Gunn, meanwhile, praised Reddick’s contributions to the world both as a person and an acclaimed actor. Though he, too, never got the chance to work with the star, he expressed his sorrow for everyone who collaborated with and loved him, saying, “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.”
Another beloved actor and director, Ben Stiller, shared his long-held admiration for Reddick along with a connection the actor had with Stiller’s mother. The heartfelt statement said, “Lance Reddick was a beautiful and compelling actor. 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. Nothing is lost.”
Cheo Hodari Coker, journalist, creator of Marvel’s Luke Cage, and co-writer for Creed II among other projects, reminisced on his past connections with Reddick and praised his work in both Bosch and John Wick, writing the following statement: “Lance Reddick died. FUCK! That’s my dude, man. We met briefly years ago when I wrote a piece on The Wire for VIBE and we have mutual friends like Clark Johnson and Wendell Pierce and everyone connected to The Wire. So sorry he’s gone. He was great on Bosch too and John Wick.”
In a few words, Oscar-winning Summer of Soul director and multi-talented creative Questlove shared the heartbreak he felt at the loss of Reddick with an Instagram post:
The news also hit hard for Collider Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub who interviewed Reddick last week for John Wick: Chapter 4. He vouched for Reddick’s kindness and praised his work, saying, “Just interviewed Lance Reddick at the #JohnWick4 junket last week & had a long conversation with him at the #StartrekPicardSeason3 premiere party before the show premiered. I’m absolutely stunned by the news. LOVED his work and he was always so nice. Can’t believe I’m saying RIP.”
Collider’s Senior TV Editor, Carly Lane-Perry, also spoke to the warmness and thoughtfulness Reddick displayed during interviews. For her, however, talking to him about Resident Evil was a true joy, saying on Twitter, “Lance Reddick was one of the kindest, most thoughtful actors I’ve ever had the privilege of interviewing. Getting to chat with him about this show in particular was both a professional and personal highlight.”
BloodyDisgusting‘s John Squires, too, highlighted Resident Evil when speaking about Reddick. He shared a clip of the star, speaking to how Reddick truly gave his all, even though the series didn’t land particularly well:
Reddick’s Jonah Hex colleague and The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan joined the chorus of tributes with another affirmation of how good a person Reddick was. “Ahhh… damn it. a big loss. @lancereddick Rest in peace my man. An amazing actor, and an even more amazing dude. Condolences and love to his family and all that knew him.”
The actor received plenty of love from the video game world as well. Reddick notably appeared in the hit MMO first-person shooter Destiny, elevating the role of Commander Zavala to greater heights. Actor and avid gamer Joe Manganiello saluted Reddick with a picture of the two together at an event for the game.
Reddick’s latest foray into gaming would’ve seen him voice the demonic hero Hellboy in a new PC game. The comic’s creator Mike Mignola expressed his shock that Reddick was gone so soon after working alongside him, adding: “I’m stunned. I was just with him a couple weeks ago as he was doing the voice of Hellboy for a new computer game–He was so great and such a nice guy. And just so young! Just too sad.”
More of Reddick’s Colleagues Remember His Warm Nature
Emmy-winning Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Ted Lasso writer Ashley Nicole Black shared a wholesome story about her love for Reddick and the joy of finally getting to act alongside him in Canal Street. Her statement read, “I once saw Lance in the airport and had such a visceral reaction because his acting was so good & stuck with me that much. Then I got the opportunity to work with him and see the magic up close, but also how kind and generous a performer he was. I cannot believe this is real.”
That 70s Show and That 90s Show star Kurtwood Smith appeared in a few projects with Reddick, including 2018’s Business Ethics, and he, too, had nothing but kind words for his co-star. He wrote on Twitter, “So sorry to hear of the passing of Lance Reddick. A wonderful actor and such as decent man! Way too young to go!”
Another actor left stunned by Reddick’s death is his old Lost and Fringe colleague Jorge Garcia. He took to Instagram with a sweet photo of him posing with the late actor along with a tribute:
Kirk Acevedo, who shared the screen with Reddick in both Oz and Fringe, shared a pair of statements mourning the loss along with the final exchange the two had when their co-star Granville Adams died. His first statement read “Just found out Lance Reddick just passed away. I’ve worked with Lance on OZ and then on Fringe. Too many stories and good times with Lance. You’ll be terribly missed. Jesus he was taken way too soon.”
The official Fringe Facebook page also honored Reddick with a tribute which can be seen below:
Whether he was fully on-screen or just his voice could be heard, Reddick added depth and heart to every project he was in. Being a great actor was just one of many layers to the man though. He was loved by so many for simply being a warm, kind human being that impacted so many lives in the course of his work. His powerhouse presence in the industry and the love he showed to his many colleagues and fans will be sorely missed.
