Information of the loss of life of the 54-year-old, who starred within the iconic function of homosexual Baltimore stick-up man Omar Little within the groundbreaking tv collection, triggered an outpouring of grief amongst followers and former colleagues.
The actor’s consultant mentioned it was “with deep sorrow that the household proclaims the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams.”
“They ask on your privateness whereas grieving this,” mentioned the assertion from Marianna Shafran of Shafran PR.
Lieutenant John Grimpel of the New York Police Department advised AFP that Williams had been discovered lifeless in an residence in Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn native had been broadly hailed for his function in gritty thriller ‘The Wire,’ which turned one of the crucial common reveals on tv and ran via 5 seasons from 2002 till 2008.
Williams was additionally well-known for the function of Albert ‘Chalky’ White on the HBO collection ‘Boardwalk Empire.’
He has acquired a number of Emmy nominations, together with for his flip within the collection ‘Lovecraft Nation,’ forward of the 2021 ceremony that can happen in slightly below two weeks.
Williams was additionally nominated for his work enjoying the husband of blues singer Bessie Smith within the 2015 movie ‘Bessie.’
He was moreover a nominee for 2016’s “The Night time Of” and for “When They See US” in 2019, a few group of younger Black males wrongly accused of rape in Central Park within the 1980s.
‘Whereas the world is conscious of his immense skills as an artist, we knew Michael as a pricey buddy who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him,” HBO mentioned in an announcement.
No official reason for loss of life was given, however a number of US media quoted regulation enforcement sources as saying they suspected a doable drug overdose.
Williams had spoken overtly of his previous struggles with drug dependancy, and had advised US media that he had spent a lot of his earnings from ‘The Wire’ on narcotics.
The information of his loss of life was met with grief amongst followers, a lot of whom thought of him one of the crucial gifted actors of his era.
Tray Chaney, who performed a drug supplier on ‘The Wire,’ mentioned he was “crushed.” “No phrases. I really like you bro. RIP to the legend Michael Ok Williams aka one of many dopest Actors/Brothers on the earth,” he mentioned on Twitter.
I can’t…I’m crushed. no phrases. I really like you bro. RIP to the legend Michael Ok Williams aka one of many dopest Actors… https://t.co/odZUBSy8eK
— Tray Chaney (@traychaney) 1630961163000
Bestselling horror author Stephen King tweeted: “Horrible, unhappy, and unbelievable to assume we have misplaced the fantastically gifted Michael Ok. Williams on the age of 54.”
Horrible, unhappy, and unbelievable to assume we’ve misplaced the fantastically gifted Michael Ok. Williams on the age of 54.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) 1630964769000
Williams’ function as Omar Little was enhanced by a facial scar he mentioned he acquired throughout a New York road struggle on the night time of his 25th birthday, when a person slashed him with a razor.
He advised NPR in an interview the pronounced scar really helped advance his profession, as he climbed from being a back-up dancer in music movies for stars akin to Madonna and George Michael to getting talking roles enjoying tough characters in drama reveals.
His first massive onscreen break got here when rapper Tupac Shakur was filming a film in New York and forged Williams as his little brother after seeing a Polaroid image of him.
He was then forged as a drug supplier in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Bringing Out the Lifeless,’ earlier than touchdown the function that will make his profession in ‘The Wire,’ written by former Baltimore crime reporter David Simon and ex-homicide detective Ed Burns.
His different movie credit included ‘!2 Years a Slave,’ ‘The Highway’ and ‘Gone Child Gone.’
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