Andre Braugher’s cause of death has been revealed following the news of his passing on 11 December, aged 61.
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star’s death was confirmed by his longtime publicist, Jennifer Allen, who initially said he died after a “brief illness”.
Allen has since confirmed to The Independent that Braugher succumbed to lung cancer, which he had been diagnosed with a few months ago.
Braugher had been an extremely private person; however, in a 2014 interview with The New York Times, he said that he had “stopped drinking alcohol and smoking years ago”.
While perhaps best known for his role as Captain Raymond Holt on the police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Braugher was also well-known for his portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street.
The two-time Emmy-winning actor landed his first honour for the latter role and his second in 2006 for his portrayal of heist crew leader Nick Atwater in the FX mini-series Thief.
Since his death, tributes from fans, co-stars and fellow actors have poured in. Braugher’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-star Terry Crews called him an “irreplaceable talent” and said: “I will be forever grateful for the experience of knowing you”.
“Can’t believe you’re gone so soon,” said Crews, who played Terry Jeffords in the eight-season comedy.
“This is devastating. It was such a joy and an honour to watch Andre Braugher work. So talented, so kind, so fun. Can’t believe it,” Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Jeff Topolski tweeted. He later followed up with a hilarious behind-the-scenes anecdote of Braugher.
Born the youngest of four, in Chicago on 1 July 1962, Braugher graduated with a BA in theatre in 1984 from Stanford University. He then attended the famed Juilliard School’s Drama Division, which he graduated from in 1988.
He landed his first film role in 1989’s Glory, opposite Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington. Braugher played Thomas Searles, a free, educated Black man from the North who joins the first Black regiment in the Union Army.
Braugher’s television work included recurring appearances as defense attorney Bayard Ellis on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and a voice role in the Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman as California Gov. Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz.
His final film role came with last year’s She Said, about the New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohy and the reporting that led to the prosecution of Harvey Weinstein. Braugher starred as former New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet.
Before his death, Braugher was apparently midway through filming The Residence, a series described by Netflix as “a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion”.
It’s unclear whether the show will restart production on 2 January, as originally intended, or if Braugher’s role will be recast or written out of the show.
