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Lance Reddick reportedly died from heart and artery disease, 'John Wick' star's lawyer disputes cause of death: 'Lance was the most physically fit person I've ever known ... ate as if a dietician was monitoring his every meal'



"John Wick" star Lance Reddick died suddenly last month in his Los Angeles home at the age of 60. The Hollywood actor's cause of death was reportedly unveiled on Thursday.

On March 17, Reddick reportedly collapsed in the backyard of his home in the Studio City neighborhood. Reddick's wife, Stephanie, found him unresponsive, and he was pronounced dead that day.

At the time of Reddick’s sudden death, the actor's spokesperson informed the public that "The Wire" star had died of natural causes, but did not elaborate.

On Thursday, TMZ reported that Reddick died of ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.

The American Heart Association defines ischemic heart disease as heart problems "caused by narrowed heart arteries," which limits the amount of blood and oxygen that reaches the heart muscle. The health condition can cause a heart attack. Ischemic heart disease – also known as coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease – can be "caused by a blood clot or by constriction of the blood vessel," according to the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH notes that ischemic heart disease is most often caused by a buildup of plaque, called atherosclerosis.

The Mayo Clinic states that atherosclerosis is a specific type of arteriosclerosis caused by the "buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls."

"This buildup is called plaque," the medical organization added. "The plaque can cause arteries to narrow, blocking blood flow. The plaque can also burst, leading to a blood clot."

TMZ claimed to have obtained the late actor's death certificate — which said Reddick was cremated.

However, Reddick's lawyer has disputed the actor's cause of death cited on the death certificate.

"I have represented Lance Reddick for many years and continue to represent his wife Stephanie," attorney James Hornstein told People magazine. "The coroner statement on the death certificate is not a result of an autopsy. No autopsy was performed on Lance."

Hornstein stressed, "To my knowledge, no medical examination of Lance during his lifetime ever indicated such conditions."

"Lance was the most physically fit person I've ever known," Hornstein continued. "He exercised daily at his home gym, including extensive cardio work, and the availability of gym facilities was a contractual requirement for his work away from home. He ate as if a dietician was monitoring his every meal. The information appearing on the death certificate is wholly inconsistent with his lifestyle."

The statement concluded, "On behalf of Stephanie Reddick, the death certificate information is not corroborated and is inconsistent with the facts known to the family."

Reddick had been actively promoting "John Wick: Chapter 4" right before he suddenly died. Reddick had appeared in every "John Wick" movie as Continental Hotel concierge Charon.

During the "John Wick: Chapter 4" premiere in Los Angeles on March 20, Reddick's co-stars wore blue ribbons to pay tribute to the departed actor.

Keanu Reeves told Deadline at the premiere, "Lance was a beautiful person, a special artist [and] a man of grace and dignity [with] such a passion for his craft. And to have had the chance to work with him over the 10 years and four films [in the franchise] is something that is very special to me."

Director Chad Stahelski said of Reddick, "When someone’s both a mentor and they’re working for you, they’re teaching you as you learn. I had him in my life for 10 years. That’s literally a gift. Lance was a great guy and a great human."

Reddick had a prolific acting career, appearing in 112 TV shows and movies such as "Oz," "Bosch," "Fringe," "The Blacklist," "Godzilla Vs. Kong," "Numbers," "Law & Order: SVU," "CSI: Miami," and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

At the time of his death, Reddick was involved in several projects. He was cast as Zeus in the Disney+ series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," was set to play a major role in the "White Men Can't Jump" remake, and was slated to reprise his Charon character in the "John Wick" spinoff "Ballerina."

Reddick's wife, Stephanie Reddick, said of her husband's death, "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. And to the thousands of Destiny players who played in special tribute to Lance, thank you. Lance loved you as much as he loved the game."

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Movies featuring Keanu Reeves were removed from Chinese streaming platforms after the movie star appeared at a charity benefit for Tibet



One of Hollywood’s most lovable movie stars may now be backlisted from the world’s largest film market as Chinese streaming platforms remove movies and other video content featuring Keanu Reeves after the actor appeared at a fundraiser hosted by a nonprofit affiliated with the Dalai Lama.

In early March, according to the Los Angeles Times, the “John Wick” and “Matrix” star participated in a benefit concert hosted by the New York-based nonprofit Tibet House. Reeves’s presence and role in the benefit concert appears to have angered Chinese censors as one Chinese streaming platform, Tencent Video, has scrubbed nearly 20 movies featuring Reeves from its catalog.

Tibet House is a nonprofit that — according to its website — was founded “at the request of His Holiness the Dali Lama” and is “dedicated to preserving Tibet’s unique culture at a time when it is confronted with extinction on its own soil.”

The Chinese Communist Party rejects the notion of Tibetan independence and views the Dali Lama — a Nobel Prize laureate — as a dangerous “separatist” as he continues to advocate for the geopolitical independence of Tibet and an end to Chinese rule over the region.

Reeves’s role in the Tibet House fundraiser came to light shortly after his latest film “The Matrix: Resurrections” debuted in Chinese cinemas. Chinese nationalists, however, were enraged by Reeves’s participation in this fundraiser and vowed to boycott the film after taking to government-sanctioned social media sites to lob insults at the actor.

In response to what the Chinese government perceived as Reeves snubbing China, last Monday China’s major streaming companies removed the “vast majority” of his filmography from their catalogs and “wiped search results related to his name in Chinese.”

When users ran searches for “Keanu Reeves,” which in translates to “Jinu Liweisi” on the streaming platform iQiyi, users are told: “Sorry, no results related to ‘Keanu Reeves’ were found. Due to relevant laws, regulations and policies, some results are not shown.”

Beloved movies like “The Matrix” trilogy and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” as well as some of Keanu’s romantic movies like “Something’s Gotta Give” and “The Lake House” have been removed from Chinese streaming platforms.

Alex Yu, a researcher at the U.S.-based China Digital Times, said, “It’s a curious case that’s worth following. We tend to think of the censorship machine in China as this really coordinated monster, but the fact that we’re seeing these conflicting signals [between the online and theatrical markets] suggest that some of these measures come from different places.”

He added, “Why all of a sudden did they decide to take this measure at this exact moment?”

Reeves un-personing by Chinese censors adds him to the ever-growing list of celebrities who are unwelcome in China after expressing support for Tibet. This list includes Richard Gere, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and, until recently, Brad Pitt.