Isiah Whitlock Jr., known for his work on The Wire as well as frequent collaborations with Spike Lee, has died at the age of 71.
Whitlock Jr.'s death was confirmed by his manager, Brian Liebman, who announced the news in a post on Instagram.
Liebman wrote: “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. If you knew him — you loved him."
Liebman went on to describe Whitlock Jr. as a 'brilliant actor and even better person'.
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"May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed," the tribute concluded.
The manager also spoke about Whitlock Jr.'s passing to Deadline, explaining that the actor had died peacefully in New York after experiencing a short illness.
“He was loved by all who had the pleasure to work with or know him. He will be greatly missed," Liebman told the publication.
Before he began his acting career, Whitlock Jr. was born in South Bend, Indiana and graduated from college before he first stepped into the spotlight by joining San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater.
He landed his first notable screen role in 1987, when he secured a guest appearance on the CBS show Cagney & Lacey.
Over the following nearly-four decades, Whitlock Jr. appeared in shows such as Law & Order, Veep, Your Honor and, most recently, Netflix's The Residence. He also appeared in all five seasons of The Wire as State Senator R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis.
As well as the smaller screen, Whitlock Jr. has had roles in movies such as The Old Man & the Gun, Lightyear and Cocaine Bear, and he regularly collaborated with Spike Lee for his projects, appearing in the likes of 25th Hour (2002), She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).
It was in the first of his movies with Lee that Whitlock Jr. coined a pronunciation he would later become well-known for - 'sheeeeeit', instead of 'sh**' - and it went on to work its way into his character in The Wire.
Lee paid tribute to Whitlock Jr. following his death, sharing a picture of the two on Instagram and writing: "Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS."
Other fans have praised the actor for helping to bring to life some of their 'favorite' projects, with one writing: "RIP to Isiah Whitlock Jr. Just an amazing character actor who is in one of my favorite movies of all-time, 25th Hour and my favorite show of all time, The Wire."
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Emily Brown