Emmy-nominated actor Michael K. Williams, best known for his role on the Baltimore-based HBO series “The Wire,” has died, a New York police spokesperson confirmed Monday. He was 54.
Police said they responded to Williams’ apartment in Brooklyn at 2 p.m. Monday and found him dead. His death was first reported by the New York Post.
Officials say they are investigating.
“It is 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,” a representative for Williams’ family said.
Williams is nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s “Lovecraft County.”
Williams, who was born in Brooklyn in November 1966, got his start in entertainment around age 22 as a professional dancer, and he appeared in more than 50 music videos, according to TV Guide.
Williams made his feature film debut in the 1996 movie “Bullet,” in which he played High Top. It was the late Tupac Shakur who discovered his talent and cast him, according to Williams’ website.
Williams went on to play roles in movies such as Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead” and others, including “The Road,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “Life During Wartime,” “I Think I Love My Wife” and “Wonderful World.”
But he was perhaps most known for his role as Omar Little on “The Wire,” which ran for five seasons.
“The wit and humor that Williams brought to Omar, the whistle-happy, profanity-averse, dealer-robbing stickup man, earned him high praise and made Omar one of television’s most memorable characters,” Williams’ website reads.
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