WASHINGTON — Andre Braugher died from lung cancer, a representative said Thursday.
When the Emmy-winning actor who starred in the series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street” died Monday at age 61, his representatives said only that he had been through a brief illness, but his publicist Jennifer Allen gave the cause on Thursday.
Braugher generally revealed little about his private life, and his death was unexpected for many of his co-stars. He told the New York Times in 2014 that he stopped smoking and drinking years ago.
Born and raised in Chicago, Braugher graduated from Stanford and got a master of fine arts degree from Juilliard. He had his breakthrough role in 1989’s “Glory,” starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, who won an Oscar for the film about an all-Black Army regiment during the the Civil War.
He went on to play Det. Frank Pemberton, the lead role in the NBC police drama “Homicide: Life on the Street,” for seven seasons. He would win the first of two career Emmys for his work on the show.
Braugher was nominated for Emmys 11 times, four of them for the comic turn he took as Capt. Ray Holt on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” the Andy Samberg-starring series that ran for eight seasons on Fox and NBC.
Braugher's “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-star Terry Crews was among those paying tribute to him Monday night.
"I’m honored to have known you, laughed with you, worked with you and shared 8 glorious years watching your irreplaceable talent," Crews said on Instagram. "This hurts. You left us too soon. You taught me so much. I will be forever grateful for the experience of knowing you."
He was married for more than 30 years to his “Homicide” co-star Ami Brabson. He is also survived by sons Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley, his brother Charles Jennings and his mother Sally Braugher.