Isiah Whitlock Jr Dead - 'The Residence' & 'The Wire' Actor Dies at 71 After Short Illness
Isiah Whitlock Jr has sadly passed away.
The actor, best known for roles on The Wire, Veep and several Spike Lee films, was 71 years old when he died on Tuesday (December 30) in New York.
Isiah‘s lontime friend and manager Brian Liebman shared the news of his passing, and confirmed to Deadline he battled a short illness.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr,” Brian shared on Instagram. “If you knew him — you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”
Spike Lee, who worked with Isiah on such films as 5th Hour (2002), She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020), reacted to the news of his passing.
“Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????,” she shared on Instagram with a photo of the pair.
Most recently, Isiah appeared on screen in the Netflix series The Residence, and prior to that, in Your Honor, Cocaine Bear and Atlanta.
Coming up, Isiah will voice Bird King in Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers.
Our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of Isiah Whitlock Jr. RIP.