Thomas Jefferson Byrd Dies: ‘He Got Game’, ‘Clockers’ Actor Was 70; Spike Lee Pays Tribute

Dino-Ray Ramos
·2 min read

Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a Tony-nominated actor best known for his roles in many Spike Lee’s films, was found dead Sunday in Atlanta. He was 70.

According to media reports, Byrd was found unresponsive early Sunday morning. Paramedics pronounced him dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the back.

Byrd was a frequent collaborator with Lee, appearing in eight of his films including Clockers, Get on the Bus, Girl 6, He Got Game, Bamboozled, Red Hook Summer, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Chi-Raq. He also appeared in the Netflix series adaptation of Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. His film credits also include the 1996 crime drama Set It Off as well as the Oscar-winning pic Ray.

A graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Byrd made his Broadway debut in the revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton and Stephen McKinley Henderson. He earned a Tony nomination for his performance in the play.

Lee took to Instagram to pay tribute to Byrd, posting multiple videos of the actor. “I’m so sad to Announce the tragic murder of our beloved brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night in Atlanta, Georgia,” Lee wrote. “Tom is my guy.” Lee posted videos of Byrd’s stirring performance as Errol Barnes in Clockers as well as a clip of him as Honeycutt in Bamboozled.

“May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family. Rest in peace Brother Byrd,” Lee added.

Watch the videos below.

View this post on Instagram

I’m So Sad To Announce The Tragic Murder Of Our Beloved Brother Thomas Jefferson Byrd Last Night In Atlanta,Georgia. Tom Is My Guy,Here Below You See Him As The Frightening Character Errol Barnes In CLOCKERS. Brother Byrd Also Did His Thang In My Joints- CHI-RAQ,SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS, RED HOOK SUMMER,BAMBOOZLED,HE GOT GAME,GET ON THE BUS,GIRL 6 And CLOCKERS. May We All Wish Condolences And Blessings To His Family. Rest In Peace Brother Byrd.🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

A post shared by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Oct 4, 2020 at 10:40am PDT

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