Williams.” Much of Season 2 of the show had been completed prior to his death. In addition to his acting, Williams had also branched out to nonfiction storytelling, notably hosting and executive producing a 2016 docuseries for Viceland called “Black Market With Michael K. It’s a sacrifice I’ve chosen to make,” he told the NY Times. The intensity of his roles often exacerbated his struggles with drugs, he explained in several interviews, and he said he was using cocaine both during shooting of “The Wire” and “The Night Of.” “The characters that mean the most to me are the ones that damn near kill me. “Omar is this dark-skinned outspoken man in the hood who didn’t care what anyone thought of him,” Williams told the New York Times in 2017.

One of the series’ most memorable characters, Omar Little was a sawed-off shotgun-toting Baltimore stickup man. Williams landed his career-making role in 2002 as Omar Little in “The Wire,” David Simon’s critically-acclaimed crime series. The actor Michael K Williams died after overdosing on fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine, the New York chief medical examiner told reporters on Friday. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”

While 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. HBO said in a statement, “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years. He was also known for his comedy roles, including biology professor Marshall Kane on “Community.” Though he shot a small role in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” his role was cut after reshoots would have required he cut short filming on the Netflix feature “The Red Sea Diving Resort.”

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