Just a few nights ago, my husband and I were chatting about how good Lance Reddick sounded as Commander Zavala in Destiny 2’s Lightfall. And now, I’m sorry to report, Reddick has passed away: Multiple outlets are reporting tonight that Reddick, who was only 60, died of natural causes at his home in LA today.
While MMOsy gamers will recognize Reddick’s voice as Zavala from the Destiny franchise starting all the way back in 2014 – nine years ago – he was far more widely known as a TV and movie actor, with major roles in The Wire, John Wick, Fringe, and dozens more.
The Destiny 2 community, which is only a couple of weeks into Lightfall, has absolutely erupted in mourning Reddick. As I type this, there are multiple tribute threads with far more than 10,000 combined upvotes on Reddit (here are two of the biggest), while basically the entire Destiny 2 forum has been taken over with memorial posts. There’s even a thread admonishing fans to respect Bungie’s decision on what to do with the character without Reddick’s signature voice going forward, as well as players calling for his statue.
As of this evening, Destiny 2 players are flooding instances of The Tower, where Zavala stands watch over The Last City, to kneel before the character and pay their respects (the pics here were snapped by my husband – you might have to hop around to different instances to see one that’s full).
Bungie hasn’t made an official statement just yet, but we’re guessing it won’t be long. Bungie posted its statement 12 minutes after this post went live:
— Bungie (@Bungie) March 17, 2023
— Lance Reddick (@lancereddick) March 18, 2023
