Spike Lee has paid a heartfelt tribute to his frequent collaborator, Isiah Whitlock Jr. On Tuesday, a representative from the Liebman Entertainment agency announced that Whitlock had died at the age of 71. A cause of death wasn't disclosed. Following the sad news, Lee took to Instagram to post a throwback photo of himself and Whitlock. "Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS," he wrote. Lee went on to recall how his "beautiful brother" appeared in a number of his films, including 2004's She Hate Me, 2012's Red Hook Summer, 2015's Chi-Raq, 2018's BlacKkKlansman, and 2020's Da 5 Bloods. Later, the director also returned to his account to share a clip from the 2002 feature 25th Hour, in which Whitlock's Agent Flood famously pronounces the word "s--t" as "sheeeeeeeee-it". "This Scene Is From 25TH HOUR (2002) Alongside Edward Norton And Rosario Dawson Where He First Uttered The Iconic One-Liner "SHIEEEEEETTT". My Deepest Condolences Goes Out To The Family Of Isiah Whitlock. May He Rest In Power,". Whitlock was perhaps best known for his role as Clay Davis on the HBO series The Wire. The actor also appeared as General George Maddox on HBO comedy Veep and landed parts on TV shows such as The Good Wife and The Residence. Most recently, Whitlock completed production on a film titled The Body Is Water.