Keanu Reeves chokes up as he makes touching tribute speech about late John Wick co-star Lance Reddick

Keanu Reeves struggled to hold back his tears as he made a heartwarming tribute to his friend and co-star Lance Reddick who died last year.

Reeves is widely considered one of the 'nicest guys in Hollywood'.

Obviously, him and I don’t exactly bump shoulders very often... or at all, but the general consensus is that the Canadian actor is thoughtful, friendly and down to Earth.

Speaking at the 2024 Saturn Awards, held on Sunday (February 4), Reeves paid homage to his late friend and explained what kind of man Reddick was.

Reddick died at the age of 60 in March 2023. His cause of death was initially reported as natural causes but his later released death certificate listed it as ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

The devastating news of his passing broke just before the fourth instalment in the John Wick franchise was released.

Reddick had appeared in all four of the John Wick films, playing Charon, the concierge of the Continental, the hotel that serves as a neutral space for all the assassins that walk through their doors.

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Reeves explained the pair grew closer working on the franchise and praised Reddick for his ability to bring a role to life regardless of the medium.

“He had such a passion and a fire for creativity, and for his craft, and for art. I had the chance to work with him on four films over the course of eight years, and over that time, we got to know each other better,” Reeves told People.

“But also, he had such a grace, and he was funny. I mean, humor-wise. I don’t know. I think favorite memory… it’s the scenes that I had with him and the relationship that he and John Wick had, Charon.

“I once told him… Well, actually I wrote him a letter and I said, ‘people love John Wick because Charon loves John Wick’. Because that character loved John Wick, that made John Wick okay. And so when I got to act with him, we had such an affection."

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During his acceptance speech for the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award, Reeves got choked up while he continued his praise for the actor.

“My gratitude and appreciation to the Saturn Awards for recognizing and honoring the warm beautiful spirit and exceptional artist that is Lance Reddick,” he said.

Reeves continued: “For over 25 years Lance made an imprint and raised the bar in every work of art and genre he was in. Not only with his performance but with the man he was. Kind, generous, creative, insightful, authentic.

“He had a special grace, strength and along with vulnerability that drew us in, supported us and inspired us, he had a fire, a creative fire. A light from within him that could not be denied.”

Since the news of Reddick’s death, Reeves and his other co-stars have expressed their sorrow at his passing, even going as far as dedicating John Wick 4 to his loving memory.