Actor Michael K. Williams, Omar on ‘The Wire,’ dead at 54

NEW YORK – Actor Michael K. Williams, who arsenic the rogue robber of cause dealers Omar Little connected “The Wire” created 1 of the astir beloved and enduring characters successful a premier epoch of television, died Monday.

Williams was recovered dormant Monday day by household members successful his Brooklyn penthouse apartment, New York City constabulary said. He was 54.

His decease was being investigated arsenic a imaginable cause overdose, the NYPD said. The aesculapian examiner was investigating the origin of death.

Little, a “stick-up boy” based connected existent figures from Baltimore, was astir apt the astir fashionable quality among the devoted fans of “The Wire,” the HBO amusement that ran from 2002 to 2008 and is re-watched perpetually successful streaming.

Williams was besides a ubiquitous quality histrion successful different shows and films for much than 2 decades, creating different classical quality arsenic Chalky White successful HBO's “Boardwalk Empire” from 2010 to 2014, and appearing successful the HBO bid “Lovecraft Country” and the films “12 Years a Slave” and “Assassin’s Creed.”

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As Little, helium played a transgression with a strict motivation code, known for taking vantage of a estimation for brutality that wasn't ever real.

Williams, who had worked successful tiny TV roles and arsenic a backup dancer for hip-hop acts earlier landing the role, had said that estimation started to instrumentality to him successful existent life.

“The quality of Omar thrusted maine into the limelight,” helium told Stephen Colbert connected “The Late Show” successful 2016. “I had precise debased aforesaid esteem increasing up, a precocious request to beryllium accepted, a corny kid from the projects. So each of a sudden, I’m like, Omar, yo, I’m getting respect from radical who astir apt would person took my luncheon wealth arsenic a kid.”

With fume from his cigaret often wafting done the darkness, the quality would whistle the melody known to American children arsenic “The Farmer successful the Dell" and British children arsenic “A Hunting We Will Go” to ominously denote his arrival.

And helium spoke galore of the show's astir memorable lines, including, “a antheral gotta person a code" and “all successful the crippled yo, each successful the game.”

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The quality besides broke TV crushed arsenic an openly cheery antheral whose sexuality wasn't cardinal to his role.

Williams appeared successful each 5 seasons of “The Wire” from 2002 to 2008, his quality increasing successful prominence with each season.

Instantly recognizable with a distinctive scar that ran the magnitude of his face, Williams said astir radical who saw him connected the thoroughfare called him “Omar,” but helium ne'er truly resembled the character.

“I could ne'er beryllium Omar,” helium told Colbert with a laugh. “I didn't person the balls that dude had.”

His “Wire” co-stars, and galore others, paid him tribute Monday afternoon.

“The extent of my emotion for this brother, tin lone beryllium matched by the extent of my symptom learning of his loss,” Wendell Pierce, who played Detective William “Bunk” Moreland and had galore memorable scenes with Williams, said connected Twitter. “An immensely talented antheral with the quality to springiness dependable to the quality information portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until helium sings their truth.”

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David Simon, who created the amusement and Williams' character, said connected Twitter that helium was “Too gutted close present to accidental each that ought to beryllium said. Michael was a good antheral and a uncommon endowment and connected our travel unneurotic helium ever deserved the champion words. And contiguous those words won’t come.”

Isiah Whitlock Jr., who played crooked person Clay Davis connected “The Wire," tweeted that Williams was “One of the nicest brothers connected the satellite with the biggest heart. An astonishing histrion and soul.”

Actor John Cusack tweeted that his portrayal of Little was “Among the top performances tv and movie has ever seen.”

Williams was calved successful 1966 successful Brooklyn, the lad of a parent from Nassau, Bahamas, and a begetter from South Carolina. He was raised successful the Vanderveer Projects successful East Flatbush, Brooklyn, and went to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School.

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His archetypal forays into amusement were arsenic a dancer for artists including Missy Elliot, Ginuwine, Crystal Waters and Technotronic.

“I was aggravated and I had a batch of energy," helium told The Associated Press successful 2018. “It was specified an outlet. I was not the champion dancer, you know, by far, but I was decidedly the astir passionate. I ever had this energy. You ever felt maine whether I was successful sync oregon not with the different guys.”

Williams had been moving with a New Jersey foundation to creaseless the travel for erstwhile situation inmates seeking to reenter society, and was moving connected a documentary connected the subject.

He spoke successful an Associated Press communicative successful 2020 of his unsmooth clip increasing up, and said helium had struggled with cause addiction, which helium had spoken frankly astir in interviews successful caller years.

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“This Hollywood happening that you spot maine in, I’m passing through,” helium said. “Because I judge this is wherever my passion, my intent is expected to be.”

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Associated Press Writer Tom Hays contributed from New York. Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton connected Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton

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