John Wick: Chapter 4 had its grand premiere in Los Angeles, California on Monday evening with a special tribute to Lance Reddick. Reddick passed away unexpectedly on Friday at the age of 60. Attendees of the premiere shared photos on social media, showing the special royal blue pins on hand for Reddick’s memory.
“We kindly ask you to wear this royal blue ribbon in honor of our dear friend, Lance Reddick,” read a placard shared by Hollywood Reporter critic Borys Kit. It was in front of a small pile of folded blue ribbons with blue pins through them. Photos and videos from throughout the night showed people wearing the pins on their lapels, sweaters, collars and dresses. That included star Keanu Reeves, who spoke about Reddick in an interview with Deadline on the red carpet.
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“Lance was a beautiful person, a special artist, a man of grace and dignity. He had such a passion for his craft. To have the chance to work with him over the ten years and four films is something that is very special to me. It f-ing sucks that he’s not here,” Reeves said.
It’s unclear why the royal blue pin was chosen for Reddick’s memorial or if it held any particular symbolic importance. Reddick’s official cause of death was reported as “natural causes,” though many social media commenters were put off by this description since Reddick was only 60 years old and apparently in good health. According to a report by PulseUniform.com, royal blue ribbons have often been used in campaigns to raise awareness for child abuse prevention, addiction recovery and anti-bullying. There are no wide reports of those issues plaguing Reddick in his personal life.
Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland and had a long and prestigious career as both an actor and a musician. His breakout role came on HBO’s The Wire, where he played Cedric Daniels, followed by roles on Lost, Oz and Fringe. He also appeared in movies including White House Down and Godzilla vs. Kong, among others. Reddick has long performed voice-over work for video games and in recent years has become a beloved part of the community around the Destiny franchise.
In John Wick, Reddick played Charon, the concierge of The Continental hotel. His role has grown in importance throughout the series while remaining mysterious for the audience. Although early reports indicated that John Wick: Chapter 4 might be filmed back-to-back with a potential sequel, the studio did not end up going that route. That means this will be Reddick’s final performance as Charon.
John Wick: Chapter 4 will hit theaters everywhere on Friday, March 24. Reddick’s family has asked that fans interested in honoring his memory make donations to momcares.org, a charity organization based in Baltimore.
