Michael K Williams, best known for his roles in HBO’s ‘The Wire’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’, was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment.
The star who rose to prominence after playing Omar Little in HBO’s The Wire, was found on Monday afternoon.
Law enforcement officials discovered drug paraphernalia near his body, which has led investigators to assume that William’s death was as a possible drug overdose.
Williams was open about his past struggles with drug addiction, stating in a 2017 interview with New York Times that “Addiction doesn’t go away…It’s an everyday struggle for me, but I’m fighting.”
In a recent interview with Tamron Hall, Williams expressed his struggle with identity after The Wire ended. Many fans would see him synonymously with his character Omar and did not recognise him as an individual for his acting merits:
“I went from being a shy, dark skinned kid in the hood…to all of a sudden, everybody is just ‘Yo man! I love you I love you!’…and the only small problem is they were calling me Omar not Michael…that was the beginning of me losing myself, losing my identity in my work and that came back to haunt me, drastically.“
William’s explained how working on our “character defects” and “skewed moral compass” are integral to overcoming addictions in the first place, and that the drugs and alcohol are “merely symptoms of the problem“, not the actual problem itself.
His death has had a huge impact on the international community, with friends expressing their shock and sadness after hearing the news.
Horrible, sad, and unbelievable to think we’ve lost the fantastically talented Michael K. Williams at the age of 54.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 6, 2021
Not only a television native, Williams appeared in many notable films throughout his career, including 12 Years A Slave (2013), Bessie (2015) and Assassin’s Creed (2016).
During his career, Williams accumulated five Emmy nominations, won a SAG Award for best ensemble with the cast of Boardwalk Empire and is now widely speculated to win an Emmy for his role as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s Lovecraft County.
An all rounder, prior to his acting career, Williams was also a backup dancer in the 90’s for some of music’s biggest stars, including Madonna, George Michael and Missy Elliot.
Before Michael K. Williams became an actor, he was a backup dancer in the 90s for Madonna, Crystal Waters, George Michael, Ginuwine, Missy Elliott, & other artists. He even said that Janet Jackson’s RN 1814 album changed his life & inspired him to be a dancer. R.I.P to a legend.
— 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒸𝒶 (@MJFINESSELOVER) September 6, 2021
It is hard to process that someone so multi-talented was so hard on themselves, and is an important reminder to all of us to be kinder and patient – we are all out here doing the best we can.
