American actor Michael K Williams, best known for starring in HBO drama series The Wire, has been found dead in his ny apartment. He was 54.
US media quote enforcement sources as saying he died from a suspected drug overdose. This has not been officially confirmed.
Williams – who was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards – had openly discussed his struggles with drugs over the years.
In The Wire, he played Omar Little, a gay, streetwise robber of drug gangs.
He was also known for enjoying Albert “Chalky” White, a strong gangster, within the Prohibition period TV series Boardwalk Empire.
New York local department spokesman John Grimpel said police visited Williams’s Brooklyn apartment after receiving an emergency out in 14:00 civil time on Monday (18:00 GMT).
Fellow actors and filmmakers are paying tribute on social media.
“The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss,” The Wire co-star Wendell Pierce tweeted.
“A immensely talented man with the power to offer voice to the human condition portraying the lives of these whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth,” Pierce added.
“If he was during a scene he was the simplest thing about it. Period,” wrote actor Edward Norton, who worked with Williams on the 2019 film Motherless Brooklyn.
“This is heartbreaking to find out . we’ve lost a huge talent in Michael K Williams,” tweeted Star Trek actor George Takei.
Filmmaker James Gunn described Williams together of the “most gentle souls I’ve ever met”.
“Rest in Peace Michael K Williams. Gone far timely . a person that taught me such a lot . many thanks for your wisdom,” wrote British actor Damson Idris.
In a statement, HBO TV network, which aired 60 episodes of The Wire between 2002 and 2008, said: “We are devastated to find out of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for quite 20 years.
“While the planet is conscious of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as an expensive friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to figure with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”
Born in ny in 1966, Williams began his career as a dancer and performed with Madonna and George Michael before getting into acting, with companies including the distinguished National Black Theatre Company.
In a BBC interview in 2018, Williams explained why The Wire was such a successful series.
“I think it’s just stayed with people because it’s still relevant now, due to the climate of what is happening within the us . i feel it’s actually a touch sad,” he said.
“It was the primary show I saw that was created as what I call ‘edutainment’. It dived so honestly into what was wrong in our society, from the local department to our lawmakers to our college system, and therefore the media. It represented what was happening in our community.”
The actor had also publicly admitted his personal struggles with drugs over the years, even when he was starring within the Wire.
“I was twiddling with fire,” he said in an interview with news website NJ.com in 2012.
“It was just a matter of your time before I got caught and my business ended abreast of the duvet of a tabloid or I visited jail – or worse,” Williams said.
