‘The Wire’ Alum Lance Reddick Dead at 60: Ben Stiller, Questlove, Stephen King and More Stars React

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'The Wire' Alum Lance Reddick Dead at 60: Ben Stiller, Questlove, Stephen King and More Stars React

Saying goodbye to a bright star. Lance Reddick's Hollywood colleagues sang his praises as both an actor and a human being after the Wire alum died at 60 on Friday, March 17. "Acclaimed actor Lance Reddick passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes," the actor’s rep said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday. “He is survived by his wife Stephanie Reddick and children Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick. Donations in his memory can be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, his hometown. Lance will be greatly missed. Please respect his family’s privacy at this time." Among the first to pay tribute to the Maryland native was Wendell Pierce, who starred alongside Lance on the HBO crime drama The Wire. “A man of great strength and grace,” Pierce, 59, wrote via Twitter on Friday. “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.” Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn chimed in, “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.” Lance was in the midst of a press tour for John Wick: Chapter 4 at the time of his death, with an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show scheduled for next week. His last social media post was a carousel of Instagram photos of him and his dogs promoting a “full line of @johnwickmovie dog swag.” The Fringe alum, who married Stephanie in 2011, will appear posthumously in Ballerina, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and White Men Can’t Jump. Ben Stiller was among Lance’s fellow actors who praised his talents after his death. “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,” the Zoolander star, 57, wrote via Twitter, adding, “nothing is lost” alongside a heart emoji. Stephen King, meanwhile, noted that the news of Lance's passing at “the horribly unfair age of 60” came as he was “halfway through rewatching The Wire.” The novelist, 75, continued: “Wonderful actor; wonderful man. This is sad news.” Keep scrolling to see how other stars reacted to the news of Lance’s death:

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Halle Berry

"I send my heartfelt condolences to the family and all those who knew and loved Lance," Berry wrote via Twitter on Saturday. "I’ll never forget the huge smile and heartfelt hug Lance gave me as I walked on the set of John Wick for the first time. His kind, sweet energy lit up every room he was in and his heart was larger than anything in it! Heaven has another angel. You will be missed sweet friend! ♥️."  

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Keanu Reeves

"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," The John Wick star and stuntman Chad Stahelski said in a joint statement to Variety. "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."

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Questlove

“I can’t take it no more. Rip Lance Reddick,” the Roots musician tweeted. 

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Wendell Pierce

Pierce called his fellow Wire alum “a man of great strength and grace” and “the epitome of class” in his Twitter tribute.

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Kurtwood Smith

“So sorry to hear of the passing of Lance Reddick. A wonderful actor and such a decent man! Way too young to go!” the That ‘70s Show alum wrote via Twitter. 

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Joe Manganiello

“Damn … he was such a great guy and a great actor,” the True Blood alum tweeted. 

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James Gunn

The Suicide Squad director mourned the “heartbreaking” loss of the “incredibly nice” and “incredibly talented” actor. 

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Kirk Acevedo

Lance’s Fringe costar tweeted, “Too many stories and good times with Lance. You’ll be terribly missed.”

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Ben Stiller

The Severance director recalled Lance working with his late mother on a play, calling him “a beautiful and compelling actor and a beautiful person.” 

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Isiah Whitlock Jr.

“Shocked and saddened by the news that Lance Reddick has passed away. Truly heartbreaking,” tweeted Whitlock, who played senator Clay Davis on The Wire. “R.I.P. My friend. You will be missed.” 

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Stephen King

“Halfway through re-watching The Wire comes the news that Lance Reddick has died at the horribly unfair age of 60. Wonderful actor; wonderful man. This is sad news,” the horror writer wrote via Twitter.