Andre Braugher’s Cause of Death Revealed

Andre Braugher died following a brief battle with lung cancer.

His publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed the cancer diagnosis to The New York Times Thursday — four days after the beloved actor passed away at the age of 61. (According to a 2014 New York Times Magazine profile, Braugher, a former smoker, had quit “years ago.”)

More from TVLine

• James McCaffrey, Rescue Me Actor and Voice of Max Payne, Dead at 65

• Homicide: Life on the Street Might Stream After All, Following Andre Braugher's Passing

• Jack Axelrod, General Hospital Actor and Grey's Anatomy Guest, Dead at 93

Born in Chicago, Braugher made his film debut in the 1989 Oscar winner Glory and appeared in a series of Kojak TV movies before landing the role of interrogation specialist Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Acclaimed for its gritty portrayal of crime and punishment on the streets of Baltimore, Homicide ran for seven seasons, with Braugher earning two Emmy nominations for best lead actor in a drama series, winning the award in 1998.

Following Homicide, Braugher starred in a number of short-lived TV shows, including ABC’s Gideon’s Crossing, CBS’ Hack and TNT’s Men of a Certain Age. (He won a second Emmy for the FX miniseries Thief.) In 2013, he turned to comedy as stoic captain Raymond Holt in the Fox/NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starring Andy Samberg. That role earned Braugher four more Emmy nominations, this time for best supporting actor in a comedy.

Several of Braugher’s Nine-Nine co-stars have paid touching tribute, including Melissa Fumero, who wrote in part, “I will remember all the advice you gave me. I will remember all the times we laughed because your laugh was one of the all time greatest laughs to have ever existed… I really thought I’d see you again.” (Additional remembrances can be found here.)

Nine-Nine wrapped up its eight-season run in 2021. He later recurred on the final season of Paramount+’s The Good Fight, and was recently attached to the Netflix murder mystery The Residence, which was midway through production on Season 1 at the time of his passing.

TV Stars We Lost in 2023

View Gallery81 Images

Best of TVLine

• 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Hacks, The Orville, Snowpiercer and 20+ Others

• Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres

• Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Showtime Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?)

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter