Spike Lee leads tributes to The Wire star Isiah Whitlock Jr after death at 71

Director Spike Lee has remembered The Wire actor Isiah Whitlock Jr as his “dear beloved brother” after his death aged 71.

The actor appeared in five films with the US director, including the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman, as well as 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq and most recently, 2020’s Da 5 Bloods.

Whitlock played the openly corrupt state senator Clay Davis across all five seasons of The Wire and was known for his profane catchphrase “sheee-it”.

The actor first used the phrase in his first film with Lee, 2002’s The 25th Hour, when his character discovered a haul of drugs hidden in a sofa, and brought it with him to the acclaimed TV series about all aspects of life in Baltimore, including the police force, the drug dealers, the schools and the newspaper.

The Wire creator David Simon paid tribute to Whitlock, writing on Bluesky: “As fine an actor as he was, Isiah was an even better spirit and the greatest gentleman.”

Whitlock also starred in the political satire series Veep, as secretary of defence George Maddox, who ran against Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s character Selina Meyer in the presidential primaries.

Whitlock Jr’s manager Brian Liebman confirmed the news of his death on Instagram, writing: “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.”