Brad William Henke died in his sleep earlier this week (Picture: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Brad William Henke has reportedly died aged 56.
The Orange Is The New Black star and former NFL player, who also appeared in the likes of Justified and Lost in his acting career, died in his sleep on November 29.
His family confirmed the news to Deadline, but no cause of death was given.
In a statement, Henke’s manager Matt DelPiano told TMZ: ‘Brad was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy. A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community….and we loved him back. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.’
The actor, who also appeared in films like Pacific Rim and had a lead role in series like Going to California, first played college football at the University of Arizona before being drafted by the New York Giants and playing for the Denver Broncos.
He retired from football in 1994, and after moving to Los Angeles he started auditioning for roles.
Henke played Piscatella in Orange Is The New Black (Picture: JoJo Whilden/Netflix)
He initially appeared in shows like ER, Chicago Hope and Nash Bridges, while his first recurring role was Thor in WB series Nikki, and he went onto land credits in the likes of CSI, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Zodiac and Dexter.
Henke’s most famous role was gay corrections officer Desi Piscatella in 26 episodes of Orange Is The New Black from 2016 to 2018, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series in 2017.
Henke has over 100 credits to his name (Picture: Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
He later appeared in Discovery’s Manhunt, with other recent credits including Law & Order: SVU, Block Party and Run & Gun.
Henke married actress Katelin Chesna in 2001 after meeting on the set of Going to California, while they divorced seven years later.
He is survived by his wife Sonja, mother Tammy, sister Annette, stepchilden Aaden and Leasa, and grandchild Amirah.
Tributes have poured in on social media, with Orange Is The New Black casting director Jen Euston tweeting: ‘This is a shock. rest well, Brad. Thank you for all the work you contributed on OITNB. you will not be forgotten.’
TV producer and writer Leonard Chang wrote: ‘Oh, no! Coover! A lovely man, a gentleman, and a great actor.’
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The actor played a prison guard on the hit Netflix show.
