{"id":136771,"date":"2021-09-07T10:50:22","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T14:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=136771"},"modified":"2021-09-07T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T14:50:22","slug":"michael-k-williams-found-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/michael-k-williams-found-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael K. Williams found dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
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American actor Michael K Williams, best known for starring in HBO drama series The Wire, has been found dead in his New York apartment. He was 54.<\/p>

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US media quote law enforcement sources as saying he died from a suspected drug overdose. This has not been officially confirmed.<\/p>\n

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Williams \u2013 who was nominated for three Emmy Awards \u2013 had openly discussed his struggles with drugs over the years.<\/p>

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In The Wire, he played Omar Little, a gay, streetwise robber of drug gangs.<\/p>

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He was also known for playing Albert \u201cChalky\u201d White, a powerful gangster, in the Prohibition period TV series Boardwalk Empire.<\/p>\n

New York Police Department spokesman John Grimpel said police went to Williams\u2019s Brooklyn apartment after receiving an emergency call at 14:00 local time on Monday.<\/p>

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In a statement, HBO TV network, which aired 60 episodes of The Wire between 2002 and 2008, said: \u201cWe are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.\u201d<\/p>

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Born in New York in 1966, Williams began his career as a dancer and performed with Madonna and George Michael before moving into acting, with companies including the prestigious National Black Theatre Company.<\/p>

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In a BBC interview in 2018, Williams explained why The Wire was such a successful series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it has just stayed with people because it\u2019s still relevant now, because of the climate of what\u2019s going on in the United States. I think it\u2019s actually a little sad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first show I saw that was created as what I call \u2018edutainment\u2019. It dived so honestly into what was wrong in our society, from the police department to our lawmakers to our school system, and the media. It represented what was happening in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actor had also publicly admitted his personal struggles with drugs over the years, even when he was starring in The Wire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing with fire,\u201d he said in an interview with news website NJ.com in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a matter of time before I got caught and my business ended up on the cover of a tabloid or I went to jail \u2013 or worse,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Fellow actors and filmmakers have been paying tribute on social media. (BBC)<\/p>\n

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American actor Michael K Williams, best known for starring in HBO drama series The Wire, has been found dead in his New York apartment. He was 54. US media quote law enforcement sources as saying he died from a suspected drug overdose. This has not been officially confirmed. Williams \u2013 who was nominated for three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":136772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"yoast_head":"\nMichael K. 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