Thomas Jefferson Byrd dead: Spike Lee collaborator shot dead in Atlanta

Oscar-winning director Lee has paid tribute to the 70-year-old
Rachel McGrath5 October 2020
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd has died after being shot in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 70-year-old died of multiple gunshot wounds in the early hours of Sunday morning, police have confirmed.

CNN reports that authorities were called to an address to attend an injured person. When they arrived, Byrd was found unresponsive.

The circumstances around his death will be investigated.

Oscar-winning director Spike Lee paid tribute to his “beloved brother” Byrd.

The duo worked together numerous times with Byrd appearing in a number of Lee’s projects, including Chi-raq, He Got Game and Clockers.

“Tom Is My Guy,” Lee’s tribute continued. “May We All Wish Condolences And Blessings To His Family. Rest In Peace Brother Byrd.” [sic]

He also posted a series of prayer emojis and purple hearts, sharing the message alongside a vintage picture of Byrd.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in