Reggie McFadden, an actor and stand-up comedian who got his big break on Def Comedy Jam and spent a season on the 1990s Fox sketch show In Living Color, has died. He was 57.
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His sister, best-selling author Bernice McFadden, told The Hollywood Reporter that the US State Department informed the family that he died in Tanzania, where he had lived for the past 18 years.
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The family does not yet know when he died or what caused his death, she said.
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McFadden, who was born on November 30, 1968, grew up in Brooklyn and chose comedy as a way to escape the projects, according to an online bio.
He debuted on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in 1991, and after moving to Los Angeles, he appeared in minor roles on Martin, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, Moesha, and Coach, among other shows.
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McFadden’s most well-known work, however, is In Living Color. He was on the late-night show in 1993-94, appearing in 23 episodes of the fifth and final season in sketches like “Wheel of Dozens,” “All Up in the Family,” and the “Dirty Dozens Tournament of Champions.”
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He later starred in Fox’s short-lived 1998 comedy Getting Personal and appeared in films such as Jacob’s Ladder (1990), Minor Adjustments (1995), and Little Nicky (2000).
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He is also remembered for his role as Officer Burt, Larry David’s neighbor, in a 2001 episode of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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McFadden had his own comedy special on Comedy Central and performed frequently at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
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According to his Facebook page, he owned Olduvai Records, a Tanzanian gold mining and entertainment production company. According to its website, Olduvai has signed a deal with Sony Music’s The Orchard in New York to distribute its music and audiovisual productions globally. In May 2025, McFadden released an album on the label titled ENJOY, Vol. 1.
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“Reggie McFadden was a very talented, veteran comedian and actor whose diverse choices and dedication to his profession were very evident,” Prof. Rel Dowdell, director of film studies at Hampton University, said in a statement.
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Bernice is survived by another sister, Misty, his sons Jaron and Myles, his mother Vivian, and his brother Kris.
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