The publicist for Emmy-winning actor Andre Braugher, Jennifer Allen, told CNN on Thursday that the 61-year-old actor had received a lung cancer diagnosis a few months before he passed away.
The New York Times broke the story first.
When Braugher’s death was first reported on Monday, Allen said he had experienced a “brief illness,” later clarifying on Thursday that the illness was lung cancer.
Braugher was a well-liked actor who was well-known for his comedic skills in NBC’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and for his Emmy-winning role on “Homicide: Life on the Street.”
After making a memorable military debut in the wartime drama “Glory” in 1989, Braugher went on to receive numerous film and television credits.
With 11 nominations overall, Braugher won a second Emmy in 2006 for the FX miniseries “Thief.”
Later, he appeared in three seasons of “Men of a Certain Age” opposite Ray Romano. He then made a comeback in the eight-season comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” starring Andy Samberg as Capt. Ray Holt, a police officer. For both shows, Braugher was nominated for an Emmy.
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the US, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Lung cancer kills more Americans than all other cancers combined, both men and women.
The 1991 marriage to the actress Ami Brabson is Braugher’s only surviving spouse.
