Hollywood is mourning a tragic loss.
Isiah Whitlock Jr.—best known for his roles in The Wire, Your Honor, Veep and several Spike Lee films—has died, his manager confirmed Dec. 30. He was 71.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr.,” Brian Liebman wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the actor. “If you knew him – you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing.”
He concluded, “Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”
Many of his peers subsequently expressed their devastation, with Colman Domingo writing, “Oh, this hurts.” Meanwhile, Lin-Manuel Miranda simply commented with a broken heart emoji.
Lee—whose films like Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman, 25th Hour, Chi-Raq and Red Hook Summer starred Whitlock—mourned his frequent collaborator’s death. He wrote on Instagram following the news, “Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS.”
