Shock and sadness has poured out across social media after the killing of Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a 70-year-old Georgia native and veteran character actor known for his roles in Spike Lee films.
On Sunday, police announced that the “Set it Off” actor was shot multiple times in his back and was found unresponsive about 1:45 a.m. Saturday in Southwest Atlanta, police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant said in a statement. Grant said homicide detectives were working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and declined to provide further details.
Lee, who directed Byrd in films including “Bamboozled," “Clockers" and “Chi-Raq,” shared his heartbreak over the actor’s death in an Instagram post.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Lee said he was sad to announce Byrd’s death and recalled how the actor “did his thang” in his films.
“May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family,” Lee wrote. “Rest in peace, Brother Byrd.”
Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis also lamented the actor’s death, noting she “loved working” with the “fine actor.”
“Oh no!!! 2020! Whaaattt!!! Loved working with you Byrd. What a fine actor you were. So sorry your life ended this way. Praying for your family. So very sorry.”
Byrd, also a stage actor, was nominated in 2003 for a Tony for his performance in the Broadway revival of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” co-starring Whoopi Goldberg and Charles S. Dutton. Other actors, including Wendell Pierce, expressed exasperation with the bad news as they memorialized Byrd. He also wrote on Twitter about his colleague being the “everyman” character actor.
According to his IMDB profile, Byrd received a bachelor’s degree in education from Morris Brown College and later received a master’s in dance from the California Institute of Arts. Close friends recalled how Byrd’s years of success in the arts culminated into his gift of mentoring. His friend Macio Burt described his emotions as “mad, angry” and “broken hearted."
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