Viola Davis mourns demise of Isiah Whitlock Jr., calls him a "wonderful person"

Offering condolences, actor Viola Davis took to Instagram and wrote, "Wonderful actor and even better person. Rest well Isiah! Your lifeforce will be missed."

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Spike Lee also paid tribute to his longtime collaborator Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Lee shared a photo of himself with Whitlock on Instagram on Tuesday, writing, "Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS."

Whitlock played small roles in several of Lee's films, including "Red Hook Summer," "Chi-Raq," "She Hate Me" and "25th Hour."

His two major roles in Lee's filmography came with "Da Five Bloods," in which he plays Vietnam veteran Melvin alongside Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters and Norm Lewis, and "BlackKkKlansman," in which he starred as police officer Mr. Turrentine alongside Alec Baldwin, John David Washington and Robert John Burke, as per Variety.

Isiah Whitlock Jr. breathed his last on Tuesday in New York at the age of 71.

The news of his demise was shared by his manager, Brian Liebman. Taking to Instagram, he wrote, "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."

Whitlock also appeared as a doctor in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas and held roles in Chappelle's Show, Pieces of April, and Enchanted. He lent his voice to Pixar's Cars 3 and Lightyear and most recently to Hoppers, the studio's animated sci-fi comedy scheduled for release in 2026. (ANI)