Schavaria Reeves was a technician who primarily worked as a sound mixer on the set of the NBC American medical drama TV series New Amsterdam. His impact was mostly felt throughout the show’s fourth season. Schavaria Reeves passed away on September 24, 2022, after ultimately losing an eight-year-long battle against prostate cancer, having been involved in 20 episodes of Amsterdam.
Following his death, the cast and crew of the series paid a special tribute to the late technician with a touching title card. Even the fourth episode of the show’s fifth season was dedicated to him, which led to the general public trying to know who he was and how much he contributed to the success of the show. Here’s what we know about Schavaria Reeves and his role on the set of New Amsterdam.
Schavaria Reeves’ Picture
Schavaria Reeves was born in 1965 in the United States, a fact that made him an American citizen by birth. He was also an African American. His exact date of birth is unknown, and we only got to know about his year of birth from the title card the crew at New Amsterdam used to pay a special tribute to him.
The late technician did not reveal details of what his early life was like, which meant that there was next to no piece of information about his father. We do know, however, that his mother was Ollie Reeves. She died in 2021, just a year before Reeves did. Details of his formal educational background have also remained hidden from the media and the general public.
He was a Sound Mixer in New Amsterdam
The importance of quality sound cannot be overemphasized with regard to TV productions on the scale of NBC’s New Amsterdam. Poor sound quality can derail the progress of a show or reduce the number of viewers interested in the show. The cast and crew of New Amsterdam were more than fortunate to count Scheveria Reeves among its sound mixers when he came on set just before the beginning of the season 4 premiere.
He was credited with 20 episodes in the show’s fourth season, beginning from the first episode, More Joy, and concluding with the season finale, I’ll Be Your Shelter. It turned out to be his last contribution to the show, which premiered on September 25, 2018 and went on to have another season after Reeves left the show before wrapping up production on January 17, 2023.
Did Schavaria Reeves Have an Accident?
Schavaria Reeves did not have an accident even though the sound mixer did pass away in Clinton, New Jersey, on September 24, 2022, just three days to the fourth anniversary of the show’s premiere. For quite a while, the cause of his death remained hidden from the media and general public, leading some to assume that he may have died in some form of accident.
Nothing could be further from the truth, though, as there was nothing accidental about Schavaria Reeves’ death, even though his demise was no less painful to his friends and loved ones. According to various sources, Reeves had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, and he fought against the disease bravely for eight years before ultimately losing the battle. He was reportedly just a few months away from celebrating his 57th birthday when he died.
Schavaria left a lot of loved ones behind, and they all turned up to honor him for the last time at a funeral service that was held on October 1, 2022, just over one week after his demise, at Vander May Wayne Funeral Home in New Jersey. Most of the cast and crew from New Amsterdam were also present to bid farewell to the beloved Reeves.
He is survived by his wife, Martha Melendez, their two children, Sky and Kayloni Burton Reeves, as well as his brother Ernest Reeves and several nephews and nieces.
New Amsterdam Paid Tribute to Schavaria Reeves With a Touching Title Card
It is not unusual for the cast and crew of a TV series to forge a familial bond over the course of the time it takes to make and finish that series, particularly one that was on the air as long as New Amsterdam was. At the end of those series, every member of that cast and crew tends to go their separate ways, but the bond often lasts for quite a while.
The cast and crew bade farewell to each other at the end of the filming of the series finale, which aired on January 17, 2023, but death forced them to say a premature goodbye to a beloved crew member during the final moments of the season four finale to Schavaria Reeves with a heart-warming title card.
The title card came at the end of the fourth episode of the show’s fifth season, which the showrunners deemed it appropriate to dedicate to Schavaria. The episode in question was a quite touching one that set aside a particular moment to remind its characters and viewers, by extension, to take care of themselves and also how it is possible for those helping to care for others may be the ones suffering the most.
Schavaria Reeves Had a Long Career in Show Business
Schavaria Reeves was a vital cog in the wheels of Hollywood for the best part of nearly three decades, having begun his career in the industry in 1993. He would most likely be remembered particularly for his 20-episode contribution to the relative success of New Amsterdam, but the late sound technician had been doing the same thing he did for New Amsterdam for other TV productions.
Reeves worked on several episodes of several TV shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Inventing Anna, Shades of Blue, Quantico, Ray Donovan, and several others.
He also had a hand in the making of several feature-length movies, including Wes Anderson’s 2007 movie The Darjeeling Limited, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, among several others.
His impact in the industry went beyond his skills as a sound mixer, as he left a strong positive impression on those he crossed paths with. A lot of those people had fond memories of him, and they had nothing but good things to say of him upon his death.
Writer Danielle Sepulveres, with whom Reeves worked on several productions, was particularly effusive in her praise of a man she considers wonderful and one of the best people to be around and work with.
