This one is a shock, being reported that actor Andre Braugher – Captain Holt from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and Frank Pembleton from “Homicide: Life on the Street" – passed away today after a short illness. He was 61 years old.
My spouse just saw the news and told me about 10 minutes ago. She doesn’t usually react that much to celebrity deaths, but she was really upset–it doesn’t help that she is about to turn 60.
Captain Holt was easily my favorite character on Brooklyn 99, and, while I haven’t rewatched Homicide since the first run, I remember being deeply impressed by him. His voice was so distinctive and so memorable. What a treasure and what a loss.
May his memory be a blessing to his loved ones and all who knew him.
I just discovered Brooklyn 99 a couple of weeks ago after someone here mentioned it. I’m a couple of seasons in now and Capt. Holt is by far my favorite character (everyone else is a little too 2-dimensional and cartoon-y). 61 is far to young to pass away.
Well damn, that really sucks. I loved him in so many things he did over the course of his career.
I recently turned 61 so this is doubly unsettling. Way too young.
This one hits hard. Never watched Homicide, but a huge fan of B’99 and Holt was the best character in it, and I also enjoyed Gideon’s Crossing back in the day.
He was brilliant as Raymond Holt. That show wouldn’t have been nearly as funny or charming without him. He played so well off of each of his co-stars. And the way he delivered his lines was comedy gold, beautiful comedic timing. 61 is just way too young. 
For your viewing enjoyment, 20 minutes of Ray Holt’s sass:
This is a stunning loss. His work as Capt. Holt was incredible. I remember him from a number of roles, though they mostly were in the L&O universe. Good night Andre. Farewell Capt. Holt.
He was fantastic in “Homicide: Life on the Street". Such a shock.
Deleted. Mistaken identity.
I particularly liked him in Primal Fear and The Mist.
Yeah, this was a shock. I did a Brooklyn 99 binge not too long ago. Braugher had that deadpan, straight man comedy touch, similar to the way Leslie Nielson, before known as strictly a super serious dramatic actor, knocked it out of the park comedically in Airplane! and in many comedies afterward. I think of Braugher as kind of in that school of ‘straight-man’ comedy genuises, in addition to his excellent dramatic work.
An excellent series that deserved a better fate. We watched it because we had enjoyed him so much as Frank Pembleton on Homicide, which stands as one of the best series ever to light up a television screen, in my humble opinion.
Farewell, Mr. Braugher.
Agreed 100%.
My fourteen-year-old has nixed watching B99 as a family, due to her newfound anarchism. I’m hoping I can get her to watch it anyway, partly because of the comedic genius of Braugher et al (especially in later seasons), and partly because the ambivalence it shows toward the job is a nuanced take that I think she could use and appreciate.
His death was a real shock to me. RIP, Holt.
Loved him in Homicide, especially when Frank Pembleton had a suspect in “the box”. I watched Brooklyn 99 occasionally and his comic timing was always great. And holy crap he was the same age as me! RIP Andre.
So sad. One of the greatest TV actors of his generation. He could be both incredibly subtle and full of passion, and he demonstrated such range from Homicide to Brooklyn 99. Way too young.
D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DEREK!
You just described Mrs. Cad’s reaction this morning.
Yeah that’s what I admired about him. He was so intense and dramatic on Homicide and intense and comedic on B99. Anyone who liked both shows, I feel, was really “in” on the joke that he played such disparate characters and it could be imagined that they were the same guy somehow.
I also felt that B99 was a “revival” of sorts for Braugher, bringing his entertaining to a whole new generation of fans that didn’t know the wonders of his Homicide work. He was going to go on to do a lot more great stuff.
And it demonstrated the depth of his ability as an actor. He was typecast into a type of role but the Nine-Nine brought out a whole new facet of that character.
I was slightly gobsmacked when I heard this news. But only slightly as people close to my age are dying with alarming frequency. RIP.