Keanu Reeves paid tribute to his John Wick franchise co-star Lance Reddick on Monday night at the premiere for John Wick: Chapter 4. Reddick passed away unexpectedly at the age of 60 on Friday, and Reeves was one of many to wear a blue ribbon in his memory. When asked to say a few words about Reddick on the red carpet, Reeves was somber but articulate.
“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 told reporters from Deadline. The outlet caught up with others on the scene as well, including director Chad Stahelski who spoke highly of Reddick before the movie began.
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“When you have someone so close pass so suddenly it’s always tricky,” Stahelski said. “He was a great man, a great human [and] we’re all just fortunate enough to have spent the last 10 years of our lives working with him. He was a mentor, a friend, a great human being and I think the best way to help remember him and celebrate him is never forgetting how much he touched us.“
The tributes didn’t end there. Lionsgate executive Joe Drake reportedly stood before the crowd and dedicated this movie to Reddick before the screening began. The audience then stood and gave Reddick a standing ovation for his performance. Reddick has played Charon the concierge in all four John Wick movies, but this will be his last one. However, there are several other completed films in post-production now that will be released posthumously.
Reddick passed away at home on Friday, and his death was attributed to natural causes. No further details have been released, and many fans are disturbed by the description since Reddick was apparently healthy as far as they could tell. Reddick was active on social media, particularly with fans of the Destiny video game franchise where he voiced Commander Zavala.
Reddick’s wife Stephanie posted a statement on Reddick’s social media pages on Saturday thanking fans for their kind words. She wrote: “Lance was taken from us far too soon. Thank you for all your overwhelming love, support and beautiful stories shared on these platforms over the last day. I see your messages and can’t begin to express how grateful I am to have them.”
Reddick is survived by Stephanie and three children. His family has asked that those who want to honor him send donations to the Baltimore-based charity organization momcares.org.
