Reg E Cathey dead: House of Cards' and The Wire actor dies at 59

Tributes are pouring in as Hollywood mourns the loss of an acting stalwart

Television acting titan Reg E. Cathey has died at the age of 59.

The baritone-voiced star, best known for his roles in The Wire and House of Cards, had reportedly been battling lung cancer.

Cathey's extensive list of TV credits included Oz, Grimm, E.R. and horror series Outcast.

Reginald Eugene Cathey is perhaps best known for his recent performance in Netflix political drama House of Cards in which he played Freddy Hayes. He scored an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in 2015 as well a further two nominations for the role.

He also starred in seasons four and five of HBO series The Wire playing professional political operative Norman Wilson.

The latter's showrunner David Simon led the tributes for Cathey which have poured in overnight from numerous notable figures in Hollywood including Samuel L. Jackson, Westworld star Jeffrey Wright and Bobby Cannavale.

Netflix released a statemet, reading: “We are heartbroken by the passing of our friend and House of Cards colleague Reg E. Cathey. Reg was the kindest man, the most giving actor, a true gentlemen. Our sympathy goes to his family.”

Alabama-born Cathey's first role arrived in television movie A Doctor's Story in 1984 having attended both University of Michigan and the Yale School of Drama.

He performed on London's West End in a 2009 production of The Shawshank Redemption playing Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding and had small film roles in The Mask, Seven, American Psycho and 2015's Fantastic Four reboot.