Isiah Whitlock Jr has died aged 71. The actor was best known for playing corrupt senator Clay Davis in HBO crime drama The Wire, and was a frequent collaborator with legendary director Spike Lee.
Whitlock also appeared in Goodfellas and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, as well as working with Lee on films such as 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq, BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods.
His manager Brian Liebman paid tribute to Whitlock, describing him as “A brilliant actor and even better person”.
Sharing the news on Instagram, he wrote: “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. 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.”
Liebman told Deadline that Whitlock died peacefully in New York following a short illness
US outlet Variety detailed how Whitlock developed the catchphrase “sheeeeee-it,” an elongated pronunciation of the word “s**t”, which the writers of The Wire then incorporated into his scripts for the hit series.
Whitlock said he could be stopped on the street two to three times per day by fans asking him to say the catchphrase.
He first uttered it on screen during 2002 movie 25th Hour. In an interview in 2008, he said the catchphrase started when he imitated his uncle Leon.
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“I did it there, and I did it in She Hate Me,” he said in the interview with Hobo Trashcan. “But then, when I got on to The Wire, I saw a couple of opportunities where I could do it, and I did. And they started writing it in.”
Whitlock’s death comes just days after it was announced that his former co-star James Ransone, who played Ziggy Sobotka in season 2 of The Wire had died by suicide aged 46, reports Metro.
Whitlock, from Indiana was also a talented sportsman, having won a football scholarship to Southwest Minnesota State University, where he studied theatre.
He turned to acting after his football career was ended by injuries, graduating in 1976 and joining the American Conservatory Theater.
His TV breakthrough came in Cagney and Lacey, while he was also known for roles in Veep, Your Honor and The Residence as well as starring in all five seasons of The Wire.
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