Jak Knight, a comedian on the rise – best known for his work on projects like Big Mouth, Black-ish, and Bust Down – has died at the age of 28, The Hollywood Reporter shared yesterday (July 15).
At this time, the actor's cause of death remains unknown, though an agency rep did reveal via his family that he passed on Thursday night in Los Angeles. "Knight's loved ones ask that their privacy please be respected during this extremely difficult time," they added.
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The timing of the talented star's death is especially unfortunate as his career looked to be on the rise as he moved from working in the writer's room on hit shows to co-creating, executive producing, and starring in a Peacock original of his own.
On Bust Down, Knight worked alongside Chris Redd, Sam Jay, and Langston Kerman to tell the story of a group of friends in Gary, Indiana who work low-wage jobs at a local casino.
The late star was born in Seattle, and prior to his death, finished wrapping filming on Chelsea Peretti's First Time Female Director.
Knight previously credited Dave Chappelle for inspiring his career in comedy, as well as the hit animated series, The Boondocks. "One hundred percent the reasons why I do what I do," he said of both influences.
He eventually went on to open for the controversial comic on tour, also hitting the road with names like Eric Andre, Moshe Kasher, Aziz Ansari, and Joel McHale.
Knight's passing has caused much unrest in the comedy community – not to mention the impact it has had on his closest friends and family.
"We are devastated by the passing of Jak Knight," the Bust Down team wrote in a statement. "He was a brilliant comedian, visionary and artist and we were all lucky to experience his greatness. Our hearts are with Jak’s family, friends and community during this heartbreaking time."
RIP Jak Knight; tap back in with HNHH later for any updates on the comedian's tragic death.
[Via]