Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor who starred in The Wire, dies aged 71 | Ents & Arts News

Isiah Whitlock Jr., who was best known for his role on The Wire, has died aged 71.

“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr.,” his manager said in a statement. “If you knew him – you loved him”.

Whitlock Jr. portrayed openly corrupt city councilman Clay Davis on 25 episodes over five seasons of The Wire from 2002 to 2008.

The fan-favourite character was known for his trademark expression – “sheee-it” -, which was first delivered on the show in 2002.

The profanity inspired the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum to release a 20th Anniversary Edition Isiah Whitlock Jr. Talking Bobblehead in 2022.

The creator of The Wire, David Simon, shared a caption-less picture of Whitlock Jr. on Bluesky in tribute on Tuesday.

Whitlock Jr. starred in the political satire Veep alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, playing secretary of defence George Maddox for three seasons from 2013 to 2015.

He also appeared in several Spike Lee films, including 25th Hour, Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq and She Hate Me.

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Lee paid tribute to Whitlock Jr. on Instagram, writing: “Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS.”

Whitlock Jr. had several guest roles on TV shows like Cagney and Lacy as well as Law & Order and appeared in small roles in the 1990 films Goodfellas and Gremlins 2: The New Batch.