‘The Wire’ Actor Michael K Williams Found Dead at 54

Michael K. Williams, the actor best known for his role as Omar Little on The Wire, has died at age 54.

Williams’s representative confirmed his passing saying it was “with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.”

Some reports have suggested a drug overdose as the cause of his death although this is not confirmed.

Williams, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1966, debuted as Omar Little in 2002 on the first season of The Wire, a role he’d reprise through the show’s fifth and final season.

Williams also had notable roles in fellow HBO series Boardwalk Empire as Albert “Chalky” White, 12 Years a Slave, The Gambler, and more.

Isiah Whitlock Jr who starred alongside Williams in The Wire paid tribute on Twitter.

He said: “Shocked and saddened by the death of Michael K Williams. One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless.”

Wendell K Pierce, who played Detective Bunk Moreland in the series, said: “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.”

Williams is survived by his son, Elijah.