Isiah Whitlock Jr, best known for starring in The Wire and Veep, has died aged 71.
The beloved actor, who also appeared in several Spike Lee films, passed away after a short illness in New York, his manager revealed.
Whitlock delighted fans as the politician Clay Davis in the gritty HBO drama The Wire about the drug trafficking underbelly of Baltimore, Maryland.
He became famous for his character’s catchphrase, which he himself developed, a long drawn-out pronunciation of “s**t” that was delivered like “sheeeeee-it”.
"It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr," manager Brian Liebman wrote on Instagram.
"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."
Director Lee also shared a heartfelt tribute to Whitlock.
"Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS," he wrote, alongside a photo of them shaking hands.
Actor Colman Domingo commented, “Oh this hurts,” as director Lin-Manuel Miranda shared a broken-heart emoji and comedian Kenan Thompson left prayer hands emojis.
Whitlock appeared in 25 episodes of The Wire across five seasons.
He previously revealed his elongated “sheeee-it” catchphrase was inspired by his uncle.
The actor also used it in films he made before The Wire but it became so popular on the show that it entered viewers’ lexicon.
"I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and far away I heard someone say it and they'd be kind of smiling," he said in a 2008 interview. "I'm glad people enjoy it."
Whitlock was also known for playing the US secretary of defence in the TV comedy series Veep, which parodies the lives of politicians at The White House.
He was born in Indiana as a middle child in a family of 10 with a steel mill worker father.
Whitlock got into the film industry after studying drama at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater.
One of his earliest roles was in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas as a doctor who provided mobster Henry Hill with Valium.
He featured in six films by Lee, including 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq , BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods.
He also lent his trademark baritone voice to animated films and TV shows, including Pixar’s Lightyear and Cars 3.
