Michael K Williams: The Wire and Boardwalk Empire star found dead aged 54

Published 08:43 7 Sept 2021 BST

Updated 09:02 7 Sept 2021 BST

Danny Jones

Michael K Williams: The Wire and Boardwalk Empire star found dead aged 54

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The actor was found dead in his apartment in New York

Michael K Williams, known for his roles in The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Motherless Brooklyn and more, has sadly died aged just 54. Though the exact nature of his passing has not yet been determined, it is suspected that his death was caused by a drug overdose. Williams had been fairly open about his struggle with drug usage over the years. His performances as Omar Little - a gay, streetwise robber of drug gangs - in The Wire and Albert "Chalky" White, a powerful gangster, in the Prohibition period TV series, Boardwalk Empire, earned him five Emmy nominations. His former co-stars and acting peers have been paying tribute to an "irreplaceable actor". https://twitter.com/WendellPierce/status/1434987418927632384?s=20 https://twitter.com/lancereddick/status/1435043473690927104?s=20 https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/1435039500019937282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1435039500019937282%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms.joe.co.uk%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D287829action%3Dedit https://twitter.com/EdwardNorton/status/1435014832865042432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1435014832865042432%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-us-canada-58470253 BET went on to share a video of his recent and powerful performance in memory of the rapper DMX following his passing earlier this year. https://twitter.com/BET/status/1434983834571919360?s=20 Rex Chapman on Twitter also shared an old clip of Williams and his former co-star Wendel Pierce discussing The Wire and his character - you can see how much admiration for his talent his contemporaries had. https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1435063470039392260?s=20 Rest in peace.