Lance Reddick’s Reported Cause of Death Disputed by Actor’s Lawyer
A cause of death has been reported for Lance Reddick, who died suddenly on March 17 at the age of 60.
The actor, who starred in shows such as The Wire and Fringe, passed away from ischemic heart disease as well as atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ.
UPDATE (10 pm ET): Reddick’s cause of death, as listed on his death certificate, is in dispute, after his longtime attorney said in a statement to EW.com that “No autopsy was performed” and the information listed on the death certificate is “wholly inconsistent” with the physically fit actor’s lifestyle. “On behalf of [Lance’s wife] Stephanie Reddick, the death certificate information is not corroborated and is inconsistent with the facts known to the family,” said the lawyer.
Reddick had been doing press for the film John Wick: Chapter 4, in which he reprised his role as New York Continental hotel concierge Charon. The day before he died, he posted an Instagram video of his dogs barking in unison with the caption, “And the beat goes on…”
Reddick played numerous unforgettable characters throughout his lengthy career, including Johnny Basil on Oz (2000–2001), Cedric Daniels on The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles on Fringe (2008–2013) and Deputy Chief Irvin Irving on Bosch (2014–2021).
Most recently, he played Albert Wesker in Netflix’s Resident Evil and lent his voice as Thordak in the Prime Video animated series The Legend of Vox Machina.
Reddick also was cast as the Greek god Zeus in the upcoming Disney+ live-action series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Following Reddick’s death, many paid tribute. The Wire creator Davis Simon called him a “consummate professional, a devoted collaborator, a lovely soul and a friend,” while Wendell Pierce, who portrayed Detective William “Bunk” Moreland on The Wire, remembered Reddick as “a man of great strength and grace.”
What a shame. I wonder if he ignore the usual warning sign of this, chest pain? Sometimes this can be fatal with no warning, but usually there is a run-up of angina to it. I’ll miss him.
He was a class-act to the end. I’ll miss him too.
I enjoyed him in everything i saw him in starting with the wire
He was a great actor and I loved his role in John wick
Dr. Cristina Yang would have saved him.
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Seriously 😢.
This is not Isaiah Washington
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Truly embarrassing.
Pretty disrespectful thing to say tbh, this is real life, someone died
She still would’ve saved him though.
With his celebrity status, I can’t imagine the death certificate not holding up to scrutiny. Does the family suspect foul play? A person can appear quite fit and still suffer a cardiac episode. I hope they find the answers they need for peace and closure.
If the lawyer is contesting the death certificate, I’m curious to know what these “facts known to the family” are. If it’s just that he was physically fit, that doesn’t mean much. What matters is the condition of the organs, veins and arteries. Based on what I read here, it sounds like his main artery was fairly calcified, which, while you can live with, can easily contribute to an early death as well.
Exactly. Jim Fixx, who wrote The Complete Book of Running, died at 52 from the same thing as Mr Reddick while on a run. You never know what’s going on inside the body, despite what the outside looks like.
I’m confused on why the attorney is disputing his cause of death. He mentions that Lance lived a physically fit lifestyle, so is he saying that he died because of something unrelated to his health. He obviously didn’t die of old age, so unless they think someone caused his death, it’s kinda strange to dispute a health condition as a cause of death unless there is some reason they can’t have that be his cause of death.
Yes, sounds like the family is in denial and haven’t wrapped their heads around it yet.
You ignored the part where it is stated that an autopsy was not performed, meaning the cause of death is pure speculation.
Will miss him
Enjoyed Lance on Bosch
The lawyer probably shouldn’t talk about things he knows nothing about, atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is not “wholly inconsistent” with a healthy and physically fit lifestyle. Cardio and a healthy diet can lower the risk but do not offer protection.
Funny, when I read the COD originally reported, my first thought was “he looked like he was in way too good shape to have heart disease that bad!”
A healthy lifestyle won’t eliminate the danger of heart disease if there’s a heritable risk in your family history.
And no, just because he looked in shape and exercised regularly doesn’t mean he didn’t have blockages or other silent signs of coronary heart disease. A guy at my gym worked out regularly, with weights and running every other day, and was meticulous about his diet because he didn’t want to suffer the same fate as his father who died of a heart attack at 51. He was stretching on a mat at the gym when he suffered his first, and fatal, heart attack at age 51.
I’d question the reported cause more if it was from Reddick’s doctor, not his lawyer…
Seriously, what good does it do anybody to dispute the cause of death? it won’t bring him back; just let him rest in peace.
While I realize that it won’t bring him back maybe his family needs to know why. A cause of death for a seemingly healthy man should never have been announced when an autopsy wasn’t carried out. What caused his death is really none of our business but his family deserves to know and it’s obvious they have questions.
Lawyers are not doctors. My dad passed away when he was 50 from the same thing. Guess what my dad ate healthy, didn’t drink or smoke. But his mum died from the same thing. Reddick being fit doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
Physically fit person’s, can and have died of unknown heart issues.
Does this lawyer know Mr Reddicks’ entire family history?
Mr Reddick was a favorite of so many of us. His voice, intelligence and LOOKS, made him amazing.
Just let it be, an autopsy is evasion and ugly.et the good man rest in Peace. You went to law school, you are not a Doctor.