Actor Michael K. Williams of The Wire Found Dead: Report

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Michael K. Williams, perhaps most famous for playing Omar Little on HBO’s The Wire, was found dead in his apartment in Brooklyn on Monday afternoon, sources told The New York Post. The 54 year-old actor was found by his nephew at his penthouse home on Kent Avenue by his nephew, according to the report.

The sources stated that drug paraphernalia was present in the apartment at the time Williams was found.

Over his career, Williams notched three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performances in Bessie, The Night Of, and When They See Us. He also played Chalky White in HBO’s series Boardwalk Empire.

Williams was born in Brooklyn in 1966 to a Bahamian mother and an American father. Initially, he wanted to pursue a career in dance and he visited various record labels hoping to land dancing jobs in music videos. His big break came in the mid 1990s when Tupac Shakur saw a headshot of Williams and said he wanted the young dancer to be in the upcoming movie Bullet alongside him.

As Williams told Entertainment Weekly in 2018, “He was like, ‘Yo, go find this dude, he looks thugged out enough to play my little brother.”

The late rapper’s eye for talent kickstarted an acting career that spanned a quarter of a century.