Hollywood Star, Michael. K. Williams, 54, found dead in his apartment
Top Hollywood actor and five-time Emmy nominee, Michael K. Williams, best known for his role as Baltimore stick-up man Omar Little on HBO’s The Wire, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment around 2 pm on Monday.
Williams was found dead by his nephew in the living room of his Kent Avenue pad in the luxury Williamsburg high-rise, sources say.
Announcing his death, his longtime rep, Marianna Shafran of Shafran PR, said, “It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this insurmountable loss”.
His death is being investigated as a possible drug overdose, the Associated Press reports, citing the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Before his death, Williams had been open about his personal struggles with drugs through the years, including during the filming of “The Wire,” saying that getting so into the role of Little, who robs drug dealers, affected him in real life.
The acclaimed actor told NPR in 2016 that he once stumbled into a church in New Jersey desperately seeking help for his addiction.
“When I came through those doors, I was broken. … This was, I would say, around the … third season of ‘The Wire,’ ” Williams said. I was on drugs. … I was in jeopardy of destroying everything I had worked so hard for, and I came in those doors, and I met a man who had never even heard of ‘The Wire,’ much less watched it,” he said, referring to the pastor.
Filmmaker James Gunn also paid tribute to Williams, describing him as one of the “most gentle souls I’ve ever met”.
He tweeted: “Michael K Williams, in addition to being one of the most talented actors around, was also one of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle souls I’ve ever met. This is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with all those who loved him.”
Williams was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 22, 1966. He excelled in street dancing and danced on tours fronted by the likes of George Michael and Madonna before pursuing acting with the National Black Theatre in New York City, and he made his onscreen debut in Bullet (1996), starring Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur.
In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama called The Wire his favorite TV series and Omar his favorite character. “That’s not an endorsement. He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character,” Obama said.
Williams also received Emmy noms for his work in the 2015 telefilm Bessie, The Night Of, Vice — he explored the issue of young people in jail in 2018 — and DuVernay’s When They See Us.
