Lance Reddick, the star of “The Wire” and the “John Wick” franchise who died Friday at 60, left behind a legion of dramatic performances. But one comedic spoof stayed with numerous viewers who took to social media to salute the actor’s range.
As word of his death circulated Friday, fans flooded Twitter to tell the late star to rest in power, highlighting his role as Lt. Daniels in HBO’s “The Wire” and the tritagonist hotel concierge Charon in the “John Wick” movies. And many also praised his comedic turns, specifically the moment when he “genuinely rattled” comedian Eric Andre on “The Eric Andre Show,” part of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block.
Reddick appeared on the talk show in 2013 to plug “The Wire” and his ABC drama “Lost.” Unamused by Andre’s opening lines and his and co-host Hannibal Buress’ irreverent shtick, the exasperated actor let out a huge sigh, stood up and waved him off — then turned back around quickly and punched Andre’s wooden desk.
“You need a new desk,” he said, storming offstage and leaving Andre flinching and confused in his wake. He then returned in a hybrid costume that amalgamated LeVar Burton’s “iconic slave role” in the miniseries “Roots” and his VISOR eyewear from the “Star Trek” franchise.
Wearing only calf-length pants, the actor came out from behind a curtain declaring “I wish I were LeVar Burton” and unleashed a profanity-laced tirade about the “Reading Rainbow” alum.
“RIP Lance Reddick. One of my favourite actors and the only person to ever scare Eric Andre. Always gave the performance of his life in anything he was in from John Wick to The Wire to Fringe. He will be dearly missed,” tweeted a fan.
“Rest in peace to Lance Reddick an incredible actor with an amazing body of work. He lent his amazing and unique voice, both literally and artistically, to many different projects and characters over his career, but I will always remember him for having my favorite Eric Andre bit,” wrote another user.
“His greatest accomplishment” and “one of the wildest Eric Andre Show appearances ever,” others observed.
Andre posted video of the skit on his Instagram story Friday, adding the comment “RIP LANCE” and a crying emoji.
Burton and Burress have not yet reacted publicly to Reddick’s death, but several other celebrities did, including his “John Wick” counterparts. See those reactions here.
Here’s a look at several other reactions:
“Ahhh… damn it. a big loss. @lancereddick Rest in peace my man. An amazing actor, and an even more amazing dude. Condolences and love to his family and all that knew him,” “The Walking Dead” star Jeffrey Dean Morgan wrote.
“RIP to one of my favorite actors the incomparable Lance Reddick … may his memory be a blessing to all his friends and family,” “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern tweeted.
“Lance Reddick is the kind of actor that improved every single project just by being there. This loss is immeasurable. May he rest in peace,” screenwriter B.J. Colangelo wrote.
“So sad to hear about Lance Reddick. What a wonderful human. He was a frequent guest and supporter of [the Game Awards], even recorded promo VOs one year for us. An amazing actor who gave so much to games, gone far too soon,” the Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley wrote.
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