Celebrity

Michael K. Williams, ‘The Wire’ and ‘Community’ Star, Dead at 54

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Michael K. Williams was found dead in his New York apartment on Monday afternoon, according to the New York Post. He was 54 years old. The New York Post said that drug paraphernalia was found in the apartment, suggesting a possible overdose. Williams was found dead in the living room of his Brooklyn penthouse by his nephew.ย 

Williams is known for his roles in The Wire, Community and Boardwalk Empire. He is also known for his roles in the movies Triple 9, Ghostbusters and most recently Body Brokers. Last year, Williams started in the HBO series Lovecraft County and received an Emmy Award nomination. In an interview with Men’s Health last year, Williams talked about his issues with drugs.ย 

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“Pain. In a word, a lot of pain,” Williams said. ” A lot of trauma early on that I didn’t have the proper tools to deal with. My mom was very strict. The beatings were very severe growing up. She was determined to not have her two sons runย amok. She had a brother who passed. He was a fighter and went to jail for murdering someone with his bare hands. It was a way of protecting me. It wasn’t an easy childhood, being sensitive, vulnerable. I’m not alpha, in any sense the word of the title.” ย 

In the same interview, Williams discussed meeting former President Barack Obama in 2008 and him saying that he loved Williams in The Wire. “When he said thatย The Wireย was his favorite show and that Omar was his favorite character, I was like, holy sโ€”, this man who’s running for president of the United States watches something likeย The Wire?” Williams said. “It was the first time I felt seen. I was like, wait a minute. I need to earn this. My personal life needs to match the responsibility that comes with being recognized by a man of this caliber.”

In August, Deadline reported that Williams landed a role in the new George Forman biopic, playing the role of Doc Broadus, who was Foreman’s mentor and trainer. He is set to appear in two new upcoming movies, Surrounded and 892. Surrounded stars Letitia Wright, Jamile Bell and Jeffrey Donovan, while 892 stars John Boyega and Connie Britton.ย