‘The Wire’ & ‘Lovecraft Country’ Star Michael K. Williams Dies at 54

Actor Michael K. Williams has died. The performer best known for HBO’s The Wire was 54 years old.

The news was relayed in a statement from Williams’ rep Marianna Shafran. “It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams,” the statement shared via The Hollywood Reporter reads. “They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.”

(Credit: Nicole Rivelli / © HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection)

Williams is a current Oustanding Supporting Actor Emmy nominee for his memorable performance as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s sci-fi drama Lovecraft Country. The actor reportedly died at home in his Brooklyn residence.

Best known for his role as Baltimore’s notorious stick-up man, Omar Little, in The Wire. The star appeared and featured in several of HBO’s prestige dramas over the years. Apart from his most recent role in Lovecraft Country, Williams also made a mark with his performance as Chalky White alongside Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire.

(Credit: HBO)

He also had a single-episode appearance in the cable network’s beloved mob series The Sopranos for its pivotal Season 3 installment, “Army of One.” Along with Lovecraft Country, Williams was Emmy-nominated for his performance in HBO’s limited series The Night Of, 2015’s Bessie, Ava DuVernay‘s Netflix series When They See Us, as well as for the documentary series Vice in 2018.

Williams’ other TV credits include Community, Alias, Six Degrees, The Kill Point, The Philanthropist, Law & Order, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Walk This Way, The Spoils Before Dying, Hap and Leonard, When We Rise, F Is for Family, and The Guest Book among others. Along with making his mark on television, Williams featured prominently in several acclaimed films including 12 Years a Slave, Inherent Vice, and Gone Baby Gone.