Actor Lance Reddick, star of "The Wire" and "John Wick," has died "suddenly" at age 60, his spokeswoman announced, without giving further details.

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Reddick began his career in 1996 with a role in an episode of the TV series New York Undercover. In 2000 and 2001 he played the part of detective Johnny Basil in the HBO television series "Oz". In 2002, he appeared in Jay-Z and Beyoncé's music video 03 Bonnie & Clyde as a police officer.

But notoriety came with the role of Lieutenant Cedric Daniels in the hit HBO series "The Wire," a harsh, realistic and ruthless tale of American society and its relationship with drug crime. The series, in five seasons, is set in Baltimore, a city with some of the highest murders in the country.

Reddick also starred in the Fox series "Fringe" as Special Agent Phillip Broyles and played the multifaceted concierge at the Continental Hotel Charon in the "John Wick" films, including the fourth in the series due out later this month. The last professional commitment is that for Percy Jackson and the gods of Olympus, the TV series announced by Disney + for 2024, for which he was chosen for the role of Zeus.

He was also a good musician: he studied classical composition and played the piano. In 2011 he released his first jazz album, "Contemplations and Remembrances".

©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection/Contrasto

Lance Reddick in John Wick 4

"I feel I'm very good at what I do. When I went to drama school, I knew I had at least the same talent as the other students, but because I was a black man and I wasn't pretty, I knew I would have to work hard to be the best I would be and to be noticed," Reddick told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.

The day before he died, he had shared a series of photos on Instagram with his dogs: a post in support of Animal League, the "world's largest rescue and adoption organization".

Wendell Pierce, Reddick's co-star in "The Wire," paid tribute to the actor on Twitter. "A man of great strength and grace," he wrote. "A musician as talented as an actor. The epitome of the class."

"John Wick: Chapter Four" director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves said they dedicated the upcoming film to Reddick and were "deeply saddened and saddened by the loss."