Terry Crews, other ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ stars pay tribute to Andre Braugher: ‘This hurts’
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE -- "Admiral Peralta" Episode 710 -- Pictured: (L-R) Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords, Andre Braugher as Ray Holt -- (Photo by: John P. Fleenor/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Terry Crews and other Hollywood stars mourned the death of Andre Braugher, an Emmy-winning actor known for shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and the comedy series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
Braugher, who played Capt. Ray Holt on the Andy Samberg-starring "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," died Monday at age 61 after a brief illness, according to his publicist Jennifer Allen. No further details were given.
Crews, who played Terry Jeffords on the hit series, was among those who paid tribute to the late actor.
"Can’t believe you’re gone so soon," Crews wrote on Instagram. "I’m honored to have known you, laughed with you, worked with you and shared 8 glorious years watching your irreplaceable talent. This hurts. You left us too soon. You taught me so much. I will be forever grateful for the experience of knowing you. Thank you for your wisdom, your advice, your kindness and your friendship. Deepest condolences to your wife and family in this difficult time. You showed me what a life well lived looks like."
"Rest In Peace, Andre. I love you, man," Crews added.
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 Civil War.
The actor went on to establish himself in the role of Det. Frank Pembleton, the lead role on "Homicide: Life on the Street," a dark police drama based on a book by David Simon, who would go on to create "The Wire." The show, which focused on the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police Department, ran for seven seasons on NBC, and won critical acclaim with Braugher as its dramatic center and breakout star.
He won his first career Emmy for the role, taking the trophy for lead actor in a drama series in 1998.
Braugher would go on to play a very different kind of cop on a very different kind of show, shifting to comedy as Capt. Holt on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." It ran for eight seasons from 2013 to 2021 on Fox and NBC.
Chelsea Peretti, who played Gina Linetti in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," also shared a tribute to the late actor.
"Love you," Peretti wrote. "Will miss your dulcet tones. Forever lucky to have gone on such a journey with you. Ringside seat. You were so funny to me and the epitome of still waters run deep. I will always cherish our conversations, often with me hanging in your doorway barring your exit, and the insane opportunity to be your sidekick. Is it weird that I am also grieving for what Captain Holt meant to Gina? I really hoped and knew I would see you again. Hate that I won’t."
Though Braugher had dipped his toe into comedy in the TNT dramedy "Men of a Certain Age," he previously said "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" still represented a major shift for him, who was known for acting in dark and heavy dramas.
"I just felt as though it was an opportunity to do something strikingly different from the rest of my career," Braugher told the AP in 2019. "I like it because it just simply opens up my mind and forces me to think in a different way. So I think I’ve become much more sort of supple as an actor, and more open to the incredible number of possibilities of how to play a scene."
He was nominated for four Emmys during the run.
Braugher won his second Emmy for lead actor in a miniseries or movie for the 2006 limited series "Thief" on FX. Braugher was nominated for 11 Emmys overall.
His other film credits included "Primal Fear" and "Get on the Bus," and his other TV credits included "Hack," "Gideon's Crossing" and "The Good Fight."
He also acted frequently on the stage, often doing Shakespeare. He won an Obie Award for playing the title role in "Henry V" at the New York Shakespeare Festival, where he also appeared in "Measure for Measure," "Twelfth Night" and "As You Like It."
Braugher 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.
Joe Lo Truglio, who played Charles Boyle in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," noted Braugher’s dedication to his family and said he "flew back every weekend from the show" to be with them.
"We all know how powerful an actor he was, but even more, Andre knew exactly well his most important role and was deeply proud of it. He spoke often about his sons, and knew how lucky he was to have Ami. I’m grateful to them for allowing us to share eight years with him," Lo Truglio wrote on Instagram. "He was committed and passionate about the things he loved. And that voice. It laid anchor to the roughest of dialogue. What you probably don’t know is that Andre could sing too, and did often at lunch, belting bassy vocals from his dressing room to whatever new music he found… I miss him so much already. What an honor to work with a man who knew what it was really all about. I feel blessed and thankful."
This story was reported from Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.