Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who has appeared in multiple Spike Lee productions, died on Saturday after being shot. The director announced on Sunday that the 70-year-old actor has died.
“It is with great sadness that I have to report that beloved Thomas Jefferson Byrd was murdered Saturday night in Atlanta, Georgia”, writes Lee on Instagram.
According to TMZ police found Byrd after he was already dead. He had been shot in the back several times. An investigation into the circumstances of his death is underway.
The actor has appeared in several of Lee’s films and series, including Clockers, He Got Game, Get On The Bus in Set it Off. Byrd also had a role in the Oscar-nominated movie Ray and starred in the Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, also directed by Lee.
Byrd was also active as an actor in theater, winning a Tony Award in 2003 for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
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