Michael K. Williams, the actor best known for his role as Omar Little on The Wire, has died, the New York Post reports. He was found dead today (September 6) in his Brooklyn apartment, New York police told Variety. Williams was 54 years old.
Michael Kenneth Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1966. He played one of his first roles in 1996 as high top in the movie Bullet. Williams has said the film’s co-star Tupac Shakur saw a photo of him and suggested the casting. In 2002, Williams made his debut as Omar Little on The Wire’s first season, a role he would repeat on the show’s fifth and final season. In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama named The Wire his favorite television show and said that Omar was his favorite character. “This is not an endorsement,” said Obama. “He’s not my favorite person, but he’s a fascinating character.”
Alongside The Wire, Williams had notable roles in Boardwalk Empire, 12 Years a Slave, The Gambler, and more. Williams also portrayed Sergeant James in several chapters of R. Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet. In 2017, Williams said he would star in a Miles Davis biography, but few details and updates were shared in the years that followed.
Last June, Williams participated in a tribute to DMX at the BET Awards 2021, performing alongside Swizz Beatz, Griselda, his Wire co-star Method Man, and others. The following month, Williams was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award 2021 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Montrose Freeman in Lovecraft Country. The Emmy will be distributed later this month.
“Thanks for all you’ve given to encourage, educate and entertain people you didn’t even know,” Chance the Rapper tweeted after learning of Michael K. Williams’ death.
Saul Williams wrote in Williams’s memory: “For years Wikipedia listed Michael K. Williams as my brother. Neither of us decided to correct it, we took it at our word. ‘We’re brothers, yo.’ He shared poems with me. We broke bread and kicked it whenever we could. A deep and sincere connection. A beautiful mind. ”
