Hollywood has lost a star.
Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd passed away in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, Oct. 3 “from multiple gunshot wounds to the back,” a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement to E! News.
According to local law enforcement, officers responded to a “person injured call” around 1:45 a.m. EST on Saturday. Upon arrival, authorities said they found “a male lying unresponsive at the location.”
An EMS team also responded to the call, and shortly after arriving, they pronounced the male dead. The victim was later identified to be Byrd. He was 70 years old. At this time, it’s unclear what the circumstances are surrounding the incident. Per the Atlanta Police Department, Byrd’s death is currently under investigation.
Following the news of Byrd’s death, Spike Lee took to Instagram to pay tribute to the late actor, who frequently appeared in his projects such as Chi-Raq, Clockers, Red Hook Summer, He Got Game and countless others.