Actor Michael K. Williams poses at the Beverly Hilton in 2016.Chris Pizzello / AP
Michael K. Williams died at the age of 54 of acute drug intoxication, as confirmed by the New York medical examiner on Friday.
The actor known for his masterful portrayal of Omar Little in the iconic crime series The Wire had fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in his system when he was found dead on September 6 in his Brooklyn apartment.
When he was in his twenties, he entered rehab and for years he spoke publicly about his daily fight against drugs to encourage others to stop using.
Williams' death sparked a wave of tributes from colleagues in the television industry and from fans of his potent acting career. His character Omar, who was not expected to remain in the series for that long, as the creators of the HBO drama have commented, won over audiences thanks to the sensitivity with which he played a Baltimore drug dealer. Their roles used to portray people who had to deal with racial abuse, poverty, or crime. The actor's talent managed to break the imaginary that the world is divided between heroes and villains.
He was never nominated for an Emmy for his work on The Wire, nor for his acclaimed whiskey dealer Albert Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire. On five occasions he got a nomination. The last was for best supporting actor for the Lovecraft Territory series, a category he lost last weekend to Tobias Menzies, from The Crown, who dedicated the award to him. During the ceremony he appeared in the In Memoriam.
“During my time at The Wire I realized that success is not leaving your community, it is being welcomed back”, and that is why he turned to social actions in his neighborhood, and to produce documentary series on topics that mattered to him. .
Before his death, he was working with a New Jersey charity to facilitate reintegration into the express society.
In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, he argued that "addiction does not go away."
"It is a daily fight for me, but I am fighting," he added.