Brad William Henke dead: Orange is the New Black actor dies at age 56

Orange Is the New Black star Brad William Henke died in his sleep earlier this week.

The star, 56, who was most known for his role as corrections officer Desi Piscatella on the show from  2016-18, passed away on November 29.

The actor and former NFL player’s 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."

In May 2021, the actor posted a clip of himself in a hospital bed and shared with fans that he was lucky to be alive.

He captioned the video: “I am sooo happy to be alive!!! The rest of my time on this planet is a bonus!

“So I will be cutting some people out and getting closer to others - I only want positive dream chasers in my life who actually care about me from now on.

“Not going to waste a second on anything that is not geared towards love happiness and reaching my potential as a human and serves my passion to be the best actor I can be - I LOVE my family and friends and am so lucky I get to see you again.”

In 2017 and 2018, he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with his cast members  for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

The actor, who also appeared in films like Pacific Rim, started auditioning for roles after he retired from American football in 1994.

He initially appeared in hit TV dramas like ER, Chicago Hope and Nash Bridges, and bagged a recurring role as Thor in WB series Nikki.

He went on to land parts in shows such as CSI, The Assassination of Richard Nixon and Dexter.

However, it was his role was gay corrections officer Piscatella in 26 episodes of Orange Is The New Black that became his most famous one.

Henke is survived by his wife Sonja, mother Tammy, sister Annette, stepchildren Aaden and Leasa, and grandchild Amirah.