"One of the greatest achievements that television and film have ever seen": Michael K. Williams as Omar Little in "The Wire"
Photo: AP / HBO
The death of US actor Michael Kenneth Williams, who became known as Omar in the series "The Wire", dismisses colleagues as well as his fans.
Police found the 54-year-old dead in his apartment in Brooklyn, New York on Monday.
The background initially remained unclear.
On social media, numerous companions paid tribute to Williams and expressed their condolences to his family.
"Our brother died today at home in Brooklyn," wrote director Spike Lee on Instagram.
“I'm shaken.” The 64-year-old also shared a photo of himself and the late actor at a New York Knicks basketball game.
Actress Kerry Washington wrote of the »beauty and joy« that Williams brought to the world: »We adore you, sir.« - »We adore you.« Under the hashtag #MichaelKWilliams, a large number of condolences from his fans gathered in a short time.
Director Ava DuVernay, who worked with Williams on her mini-series "When They See Us," recalled a colleague who came on set on off days "just to share a hug."
She wrote of the many lives Williams had touched.
"Through your personal interactions on a large and small scale, through your social commitment, through your struggles, through your triumphs, through your glorious work," says the filmmaker: "You were a flash of love."
Joel McHale, with Williams starring in the comedy series "Community," called him an "actor for the ages."
Williams became known to an international audience through his role as the gay robbery killer Omar Little in the series milestone "The Wire".
Wendell Pierce, as Detective Bunk Moreland at his side for five seasons, mourns the loss of an “extremely talented man” whose portraits gave a voice to those whose humanity is often overlooked, as he wrote in several messages on Twitter: “A little one The consolation is that I know that you knew how much we loved you. "
Actor John Cusack called Williams' performance on "The Wire" "one of the greatest performances television and film have ever seen."
Williams was nominated for an Emmy for his performances in the multi-part series “When They See Us” and “The Night Of” as well as the TV portrait “Bessie” and the documentary series “Vice”.
For his role in the horror series “Lovecraft Country”, experts predicted that he would receive the US TV Award for the first time at this year's television award ceremony on September 20.
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