Reggie McFadden, the actor and stand-up comic best known for his run on In Living Color and his breakout appearance on Def Comedy Jam, has died at 57. His sister, author Bernice McFadden, told The Hollywood Reporter that the U.S. State Department notified the family of his death in Tanzania, where he had lived for roughly 18 years. The cause and exact date of death remain unknown.
Born in Brooklyn in 1968, McFadden came up through New York’s comedy scene before landing his breakout moment on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in 1991, a show that became a launching pad for a generation of Black comedians. He went on to appear in the fifth and final season of In Living Color from 1993 to 1994, performing in 23 episodes across sketches including “Wheel of Dozens” and “All Up in the Family.” His other credits spanned Martin, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, Coach, Moesha, and a memorable turn as Officer Burt on Curb Your Enthusiasm, along with film roles in Jacob’s Ladder and Little Nicky.
McFadden’s career traces a familiar but important arc for Black comedians of his generation: Def Comedy Jam gave him national visibility, which opened doors into network sitcoms and sketch comedy during a stretch of television that was unusually rich with Black-led shows and ensembles. That period, Martin, In Living Color, Moesha, and the many guest-starring threads connecting them, built a working ecosystem for Black comedic talent that’s often remembered more for its biggest stars than for the steady character actors like McFadden who gave those shows their texture.
In later years, McFadden built a second career outside entertainment entirely, running Olduvai Records, a gold-mining and entertainment production company based in Tanzania, which released an album, ENJOY, Vol. 1, through a distribution deal with Sony Music’s The Orchard in 2025. Hampton University film studies director Prof. Rel Dowdell remembered him as “a very talented, veteran comedian and actor whose diverse choices and dedication to his profession were highly evident.” McFadden is survived by his sisters Bernice and Misty, his sons Jaron and Myles, his mother Vivian, and his brother Kris.
As tributes continue to come in from fellow comedians, McFadden’s passing is a reminder of how many careers were quietly built in the margins of that early ’90s Black sitcom boom, careers worth remembering in full rather than as a single credit line.