Actor Michael K. Williams, famous for his roles in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, was found dead in his New York City apartment on Monday—leaving his family, co-stars, and fans in shock.
Williams, who was 54, was up for an Emmy for best supporting actor in a drama series for his performance in the HBO show Lovecraft Country at the time of his death.
His representatives released a statement asking for privacy for his family “while grieving this unsurmountable loss.”
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The Brooklyn-born actor’s death is being investigated by the New York Police Department as a possible drug overdose, the Associated Press reported. In the past, Williams had been candid about his battles with addiction.
As word of his death spread, tributes poured in from those who had shared a screen with Williams.
“I feel punched in gut... soul anguished,” said Edward Norton, who worked with Williams on Motherless Brooklyn. “Getting to work with him was one of the greatest privileges I’ve had in my career. My admiration for his talent was boundless, like so many. If he was in a scene he was the best thing about it. Period.”
Wendell Pierce, who appeared in The Wire with Williams, tweeted: “The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss. A immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth.”
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who cast Williams as the father of one of the exonerated Central Park Five in the Netflix series When They See Us, posted a lengthy remembrance on Instagram.
“I remember the times you’d come on set even when you weren’t on the call sheet. Just to share a hug. To cheer us on. Strolling in like the King that you were. For just a flash to give some love—then gone,” she wrote.
“I remember nights out in NYC that summer and how you were so loved by the folks in your city. I remember our work on the work, always connected and communicating and excavating and building because you were so open and ready to give your all. I remember you sending me a picture of yourself as a young man and sharing with me that the boys whose story we were telling were a reflection of you—and we were going to get it right.”
Williams kicked off his career in show business as a dancer for a variety of pop stars, including Madonna and Janet Jackson, before an encounter with rapper Tupac Shakur led to an acting role in the 1996 movie Bullet. He proceeded to appear in episodes of Law & Order, Boston Legal, and The Sopranos.
Williams later rose to stardom playing Omar Little—a modern-day Robin Hood and stick-up man in Baltimore—in The Wire. The celebrated role proved to be Williams’ defining character, with President Barack Obama singling Little out as his favorite character on TV in a 2008 interview with the Las Vegas Sun. “That’s not an endorsement,” Obama said. “He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character.”
He also starred in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire as bootlegger Chalky White, winning a Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble cast. He saw a recent career resurgence with parts in HBO’s The Night Of and Netflix’s When They See Us, which both led to Emmy nominations.
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years,” HBO said in a statement to Variety. “While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”
Williams also appeared in several movies, including 12 Years a Slave, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Inherent Vice, and 2016’s Ghostbusters.
In July, Williams earned his fifth Emmy nomination for playing Montrose Freeman in HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
“What Montrose, and his journey and Lovecraft Country did for me was that it got me in touch with my deeper trauma,” he told Deadline. “I know that I have trauma with my past experiences of life—things that have happened to me, things that I have done, bad choices. I live that and I’m working through it.”
In post after post, entertainment figures shared their favorite Williams scenes, stories about his singular focus on set and his generosity off of it.
Entertainment producer Jesse Collins posted a clip from the 2021 BET Awards, in which Williams paid tribute to late rapper DMX. “Thank u for all that u gave us,” he wrote. “REST IN POWER!”
David Simon, the creator of The Wire, wrote that he was “too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said.”
“Michael was a fine man and a rare talent and on our journey together he always deserved the best words,” he added. “And today those words won't come.”
