On September 6th, 2021, Actor Michael K Williams passed away at the age of 54. Williams is perhaps best known for playing the role of Omar Little on the HBO show The Wire, a role he portrayed from 2002-2008. He also had memorable roles on shows like Boardwalk Empire, Community, When They See Us, and Bessie, the following of which earned him an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In addition to these Television roles, he also had a number of roles in popular movies such as 12 Years a Slave, Gone Baby Gone, and Inherent Vice. Williams is survived by his mother, Paula Williams; his brother, Paul Carey; and a nephew, Dominic Dupont.

Although he himself didn’t identify as such Willaims became revered for his many portrayals of openly gay characters in movies and television shows. Many critics have hailed these performances as revolutionary because they shied away from harmful stereotypes and tended to portray these characters in a positive light as opposed to what many other movies and shows were doing around this same time. Williams also was a staunch ally to the LGBTQ+ community and worked hard to change the way the community was portrayed in the media.

Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 22, 1966. From a young age, Williams endured a lot of hardship growing up in the Vanderveer Projects in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Later in his life, he would reflect on this chapter of his life by stating that “he never thought he would ever make it out of the projects.”He would end up making it out of the projects though. After quitting his job working as an intern for a pharmaceuticals company, Williams decided to pursue a career as a background dancer. This new career path allowed him to leave the projects and go on world tours with some of the biggest musical acts of the time including Madonna and George Michael. It was also around this time that Williams would get his trademark facial scar which came from a bar fight on his 25th Birthday. This scar would actually benefit him career-wise as it led to him getting offered more roles to play “thug” characters in music videos.

Williams’s first role as an actor was in the film Bullet where he starred alongside the late  Rapper/Actor Tupac Shakur. In the movie, Williams played one of Shakur’s Characters henchmen. According to legend Shakur, himself recommended Williams for the role after seeing a picture of him from a photoshoot. From there, Williams would gain a few small roles in shows such as Law and Order and Deadline but his breakout role was just around the corner. In 2002 Willaims was cast as the brash charismatic drug dealer Omar Little in the HBO series The Wire. This role would catapult Williams into the stratosphere and it earned him great acclaim from critics and fans alike. This role would open Williams up to more acclaimed roles in shows such as Boardwalk Empire and Lovecraft Country.

Many fans and co-stars expressed their condolences to Williams on social media. Amongst those paying tributes are Esteemed director Spike Lee wrote “Let’s Celebrate Our Artistic Soldier MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS. We Have Lost Too, Too Many Of Our Sista’s And Brotha’s Too, Too Early. Blessings, Prayers, And Condolences To His Family. GOD BLESS,” and actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. who co-starred with Willaims on The Wire wrote “Shocked and saddened by the death of Michael K Williams. One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless,” Additional tributes came from Questlove, Kerry Washington, Leslie Jones, and Mariah Carrey.