Renowned actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., celebrated for his memorable catchphrase in the acclaimed series “The Wire,” has passed away at the age of 71.

According to reports from Deadline, Whitlock died on Tuesday in New York.

His manager, Brian Liebman, revealed to the publication that Whitlock succumbed to a brief illness.

Beyond his iconic portrayal of Senator R. Clayton Davis on HBO’s beloved series, Whitlock made appearances in other notable shows like “Veep” and “Atlanta.”

Whitlock’s talent extended to the cinema, where he was featured in a variety of critically acclaimed films, showcasing his remarkable versatility.

The director Spike Lee was a regular collaborator of Whitlock’s, and the two had most recently worked together on Lee’s lauded films Da 5 Bloods (2020) and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Isiah Whitlock Jr., a star of The Wire who became famous for his iconic catchphrase on the series, has died at 71; pictured October 9 in NYC

His manager, Brian Liebman, told the publication that he had died after a short illness on Tuesday; Whitlock seen in Cocaine Bear (2023)

In a statement shared to Instagram, Liebman shared the news of Whitlock’s death with ‘tremendous sadness.’

‘If you knew him – you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing,’ Liebman penned.

‘Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.’

Whitlock, who was born and raised in Indiana, first embarked on his acting career while studying theater arts at Southwest Minnesota State University.

He further honed his craft at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco after his 1976 college graduation.

Whitlock’s first high-profile acting gig came in 1987 as he snagged a guest spot on the police drama, Cagney & Lacey, which ran for seven seasons on CBS.

He went on to appear in a number of hit shows, including Law & Order, New York Undercover and NYPD Blue, before landing his career-defining role on The Wire in 2002.

He starred as Senator R. Clayton ‘Clay’ Davis, a corrupt senator, for the entire five-season run of David Simon’s HBO crime drama.

Whitlock is best known for his role as Senator R. Clayton Davis on the beloved HBO series, The Wire

The director Spike Lee was a regular collaborator of Whitlock’s, and the two had most recently worked together on Lee’s lauded films Da 5 Bloods(2020) and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman (2018); Lee and Whitlock pictured

Whitlock (second from left) seen on set of Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods (2020) with Lee, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters and Norm Lewis

After The Wire wrapped in 2008 after 60 episodes, Whitlock continued to act in many iconic TV shows.

His credits include multiple episode runs on The Good Wife, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Louie and Veep.

His last TV role was on the Netflix crime thriller series The Residence, which also starred Orange Is The New Black alum Uzo Aduba.

Whitlock, who played Chief of Police Larry Dokes, was among the show’s main cast and appeared in all eight episodes, which aired in March 2025.

Along with his impressive TV career, Whitlock also made a name for himself in film as a collaborator of legendary director Spike Lee.

Before teaming up with Lee, Whitlock made his big screen debut in 1990 in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

That same year he played a doctor in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas alongside Robert De Niro and the late Ray Liotta.

‘If you knew him – you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing,’ Whitlock’s longtime manger penned of the star on Instagram Tuesday; Whitlock seen in March 2025

Whitlock starred in the hit Showtime series Your Honor 

His other notable film credits from the 1990s include, Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You (1996) and Eddie (1996) starring Whoopi Goldberg.

He first began working with Lee on the 2002 drama flick 25th Hour, in which he appeared alongside Academy Award nominee Edward Norton as Agent Flood.

The film thrust Whitlock into the pop culture lexicon as it spawned what would become his iconic catchphrase, ‘Sheeeeeit,’ which is an drawn out expression of the curse word ‘sh**.’

He would appear in five more of Lee’s films: She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).

Back in 2008, Whitlock shared his inspiration behind the ‘Sheeeeeit’ catchphrase and how it transcended Lee’s films.

‘I did it [in 25th Hour], and I did it in She Hate Me. 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,’ he told HoboTrashCan.

His last TV role was on the Netflix crime thriller series The Residence, which also starred Orange Is The New Black alum Uzo Aduba 

Along with his work with Lee, Whitlock starred in countless hit films, including Disney’s Enchanted (2007), Cedar Rapids (2011) and Cocaine Bear (2023); Whitlock seen with Cedar Rapids co-stars John C Reilly and Ed Helms

Whitlock seen in 2007

Whitlock recalled one memorable instance of a fan using the catchphrase to grab his attention – a situation he often experienced while out in public.

‘I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and far away I heard someone say it and they’d be kind of smiling. I’m glad people enjoy it,’ he said.

Along with being a Lee fixture, Whitlock also acted in countless high-profile films, including: Disney’s Enchanted (2007), Cadillac Records (2008), Brooklyn’s Finest (2009), CHiPs (2017), Disney’s Lightyear (2022) and Cocaine Bear (2023).

He recently lent his voice acting talents to the upcoming Disney animated feature Hoppers, which is set for a 2026 release.

However, his final film role will be in the Vicky Wight-directed film The Body Is Water. As of now, no release date has been set for the film.