Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor who starred in The Wire, dies aged 71

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.

(c) Sky News 2025: Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor who starred in The Wire, dies aged 71