‘The Wire’ actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. has died

By Miriam Elder, CNN

(CNN) — Isiah Whitlock Jr., whose singular delivery of a tagline in “The Wire” gave the world one of the most iconic phrases of the century, has died at the age of 71.

Whitlock “passed away today peacefully in NYC after a brave battle with a short illness,” his manager, Brian Liebman, told CNN. “Isiah was a brilliant actor and even better person.”

Whitlock had a storied career spanning more than three decades in both TV and film. He appeared in a number of Spike Lee movies, including “Da 5 Bloods,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “The 25th Hour.”

He got his start in TV on “Cagney & Lacey” in the 1980s and went on to appear often in police procedurals, from “Law & Order” to “NYPD Blue.” Most recently on TV, Whitlock played a police chief on “The Residence,” a Netflix murder mystery starring Uzo Aduba.

Whitlock will be most remembered for his unforgettable role in “The Wire,” David Simon’s HBO crime drama, which is widely recognized as one of the best series of all time.

Whitlock appeared on all five seasons of the show as R. Clayton “Clay” Davis, a crooked Maryland state senator. He quickly became known for his unique reaction to events, delivering an elongated “s**t” that catapulted straight into the American lexicon.

Whitlock reveled in the attention that his delivery received. “I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and far away I heard someone say it and they’d be kind of smiling,” he told an interviewer in 2008. “I’m glad people enjoy it.”

In 2014, he started a YouTube series teaching people how they, too, could perfectly say it. Whitlock said he got the phrase from his late uncle Leon, who delivered it in a way that would always make people laugh.

“Do I get tired of it? No,” he told the AP in 2020. “If it makes you feel good, so be it,” he said with a smile.

Whitlock also had a recurring role on “Veep,” playing General George Maddox, a defense secretary who toys with a primary run against Vice President Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Whitlock grew up in Indiana, the fifth of ten children, and studied at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before moving to New York, where he lived for decades.

“He was loved by all who had the pleasure to work with or know him,” his manager said. “He will be greatly missed.”

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