“The Wire” actor Michael K. Williams found dead at 54

His scar, which cut across his face from top to bottom, had made him one of the most memorable bandits on the small screen. The body of actor Michael K. Williams, 54, was found lifeless in his New York apartment on Monday, September 6, according to police sources cited by US media. His family confirmed the information soon after.

In the Pantheon of television series, “The Wire”, shot between 2002 and 2008, is a benchmark. Throughout his five seasons in the life of the Baltimore gangs, Michael K. Williams played the central role of Omar Little, a revenge delinquent, feared, but marginalized in particular because of his assumed homosexuality.

According to the American press, New York investigators have found drugs next to his body on Monday, September 6. The prospect of death by overdose did not surprise on the other side of the Atlantic, Michael T. Williams, having repeatedly openly expressed his addiction to several substances.

“It’s an everyday fight for me, but I fight”, he said in 2017 in an interview with New York Times.

Monday, in the wake of the announcement of his death, actor Wendell Pierce, alias Bunk in “The Wire”, paid a vibrant and long tribute to his former filming partner. According to him, the actor was “an immensely talented man with the ability to give a voice to the human condition by describing the lives of those whose humanity is seldom high”. Many stars have also paid tribute to him on social networks, praising his talent and kindness.

After the success of “The Wire”, Michael K. WIlliams continued to perform in sitcoms hits, including “Broadwalk Empire” and most recently in “Lovecraf Country”, for which he received the Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 2021. He has appeared in numerous feature films, including “Gone Baby Gone” and “Twelve Years A Slave”.