Michael K Williams is DEAD to me!

Oh shit no! He was ten times as incredible in The Wire.

The Wire was an amazing show and he was a great actor.

Now we can grieve as appropriate.

Thank you, OP.

His death is a terrible loss.

What??? Omar is dead? Fuck!

Shit!

Very sad. He was a talented actor

So sad. He's also the frontrunner for the Supporting Actor in a Drama Emmy and was being predicted to win by many. Final round voting is already over, so if he does win, no one can say it's because he died. The Emmy is long overdue. It's just too bad they couldn't have bothered to given him one when he was alive.

That Fentanyl is as killer as the 'Rona.

I didn't recognize the name, but I just realized I saw him in a good recent movie called, "Body Brokers" about drug rehab scams. Very interesting movie and well-acted.

Fuck. He was a great talent, his Omar is iconic of course but even outside of that.

He's the best actor in the Wire, a cast that's chock-full of excellent actors. Omar was special.

Rest in peace. If he had family, I hope they're all right.

He apparently had an on and off problem with drugs for years. This is just particularly sad.

Tragic news. His portrayal of Omar brought masculine, dominant tops from the shadows of the gay community and helped change the image of gay men from being all Judy Garland singing bottoms. It really helped give a new generation of young men like me the courage to come out around the time that The Wire was airing, and years more afterward.

May he Rest In Peace.

An apparent OD.

he was Gay, right?

R15, yes.

[QUOTE] he was Gay, right?

Not openly. He was molested when he was young, which can leave one to forever question whether their same-sex feelings are a side effect of their assault or naturally occurring. I know a lot of gay victims of youth sexual assault who grow up struggling with those feelings. It’s hard.

I am sad to hear about his death at such a young age. I watched the first season of The Wire, and I liked his character. He was a talented actor. I am so sorry to hear this news.

He was brilliant. RIP.

Can I have his hip modern Williamsburg penthouse?

Naked in The Wire

[QUOTE] I never watched The Wire but he was incredible in Boardwalk Empire.

How does one watch Boardwalk Empire but not The Wire? You better get your shit straightened out there, OP.

Not Mouse!

This is really sad.

What a joy to watch him in The Wire. RIP

R21 He had a hot ass and cock, but he couldn't live forever.

Damm fentanyl lace!! We need to galvanize a movement to stop this deliberate killing via drug tainting

He is such a talented actor. What a loss! His character Omar was everything in “The Wire. “ Enjoy every day as if it is your last. Life is fleeting....

He's nominated for an Emmy this year. Voting is already over though.

(not that they show much sympathy for the dead lately.)

Man, some people will do anything to win an Emmy.

He apparently had a good sense of humor. Omar was one of the best characters ever on television. For you Wire fans:

r29 it doesn't take much. I got one just for reading some book or something. G even has 3.

Wow, R17, I didn’t know that.

Thank you.

Hi, r28

I'm not sure why people are/were predicting him to win the Emmy. Lovecraft Country was cancelled. I doubt people bothered to watch it knowing that. The Crown will probably win all 4 acting awards like Schitt's Creek did last year.

I don't think the voters watch many shows. Look how practically everyone from The Handmaid's Tale was nominated.

This is a penthouse apartment in the same complex where he lived in Brooklyn. I could see the address in a photo published in the Daily Mail.

Was he family? The pout alone...

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[Quote] Not Mouse!

It's a curse!

This makes me think of the guy from True Blood, who was also gay but not openly.

I found his scar an incredible turn on,though thats not really a fetish of mine. Im sorry to hear this , he was excellent in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. RIP.

r34, Lovecraft Country was cancelled because the second season would have been a completely different storyline and different characters (a completely new one unrelated to the book), and HBO didn't like the pitch. It was likely already widely watched due to being an HBO show and judging from the nominations it did get. It's unlikely to win in other categories due to The Crown and other strong contenders. If people want to acknowledge it somewhere, especially since it was cancelled, this is likely the best place. Williams has been nominated four other times and never won, and he's widely respected. Plus, Menzies wasn't nominated for his first Crown season, which may indicate a certain lack of enthusiasm for him. (I'd say his closest competition is Esposito, another widely respected, multi-nominated-with-no-wins contender.)

He was much, much better than his material in Lovecraft Country.

Who could ever forget all the times Omar whistled The Farmer in the Dell/A Hunting I Will Go.

Agreed, R42. That show was dreck, he was wonderful.

One of the best actors around, tbh. He was never not good, almost always damn good, and with Omar? Perfect.

Fucking fentanyl. I have nothing against drug use, but quit doing coke (or whatever) until the fentanyl craze is cleaned up.

Omar’s second boyfriend on The Wire was so cute. If I was running that show, there would’ve been a few sweaty, intense sex scenes with Omar and Renaldo.

"Drugs and alcohol are not the problem. They are merely symptoms of the problem."

- A word.

I too would end it all if I lived in Williamsburg. At least he died doing what he loved.

I haven't watched yet.

Fun Fact: Madonna discovered him & launched his career by featuring him (shirtless, of course) in her Secret video.

He started his career with Crystal Waters. He toured with her and danced in/choreographed the moves for her video for 100% Pure Love.

So he kicked it with Man Parrish?

Damn. This one hurts. Lovecraft Country was great. Fuck you guys for not recognizing that

God I fucking loved Omar. It was so refreshing seeing an openly gay badass and complicated black man who didn’t care about the stares, or comments, or insults thrown his way. He was who he was and didn’t care what people thought. His sexuality was never treated as some big deal, conflict or hurdle. He didn’t give a shit if you had a problem with it or not

He’ll be missed

I wanna go out dancing.

Prosecutor to her witness: And what is it you do for a living Mr. Little?

Prosecution Witness Omar Little: I robs drug dealers.

See R43 for a sample of my work

That's really sad. :( The Wire was great.

Has shouty, no-talent Jared Padalecki weighed in yet?

I hate the heartbroken emoji. It's tacky.

He looks much older than 54

R61 You should see him now!

No he doesn’t

For r34

Anyone else get cold vibes from him

R.I.P. Michael 🥲

He began his career as a dancer, inspired by Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation video. He'd mention it often during interviews

[quote] I never watched The Wire

SHAME!!! What are you doing here? Log off and start watching. The entire show is great, but his Omar is a revelation.

[quote] God I fucking loved Omar. It was so refreshing seeing an openly gay badass and complicated black man who didn’t care about the stares, or comments, or insults thrown his way. He was who he was and didn’t care what people thought. His sexuality was never treated as some big deal, conflict or hurdle. He didn’t give a shit if you had a problem with it or not

Probably my favorite gay character in the history of television. Not a victim, or a court jester or a billboard for ‘the cause,’ just a man living his very badass life.

Really R17? “Has ...their same-sex feelings are a side effect of their assault...”? Sexual abuse creates homosexuals? This is the most homophobic crap I have read in a while. And 13 likes?

Dancing clip

R70.

Oh, that didn't work did it? Well, there are several down that thread. Or let's try this:

I was just rewatching some of his scenes from The Wire. He was an incredible actor, you can't take your eyes off him when he's on screen. RIP.

R68 Especially during the time The Wire was released, when gay characters almost always acted like their homosexuality was something to be ashamed of, or needed to be kept hidden. It was so nice to see a character not feel shame or hide who he was. Omar didn’t care what people thought, his sexuality was only a small part of who he was

Yo!

Any news at all about a partner?

[quote] It really helped give a new generation of young men like me the courage to come out around the time that The Wire was airing...

You needed a tv actor acting all thuggy to "give you the courage to come out"? You are mistaken, you haven't any courage at all, trust me.

[quote] I hate the heartbroken emoji. It's tacky.

As is the expression, “This one hurts.”

So he was doing coke and it was laced? I’ve heard about that deadly coke going around. What’s up with that? What’s the point? To kill people at random, or just to pad out the package cheaply, like mixing oregano with weed?

I admire male actors who go full-frontal in their scenes when it makes sense to do it, R21. He was not afraid of any reaction to it.

And he had no reason to be afraid, R79!! Woof!

[Quote] he was choked up and was very passionate about religion and music saving his life over the years and he mentioned a local Reverend (Rev Christian Love) being his spiritual leader. Now, that Reverend was renowned for bringing in drug addicts, ex cons and career criminals and inspiring them to live a clean, honest, productive life.

Another one caught up in religion. Take heed, David Archuleta.

[Quote] On that clip of him on Tamron's show, he mentioned Bebe Winans and Bebe was was on the line up singing is Gospel house music songs (Thank You & Dance), so maybe he was there to support Bebe.

I hope Bebe isn't doing that heron shit too.

So was it heroin? or killer coke laced with fentanyl? Will you people get your stories straight before commenting please?

Who are you talking to? I never said anything about fentanyl.

Pretty sure fentanyl is trending on Twitter because of this.

No. Fentanyl has been trending because of those comedians (Fuquan Johnson, Kate Quigley etc.).

Addiction is because of trauma and fear

Fentanyl has been mentioned several times in this thread but I was thinking of R44 who wrote this:

[quote] Fucking fentanyl. I have nothing against drug use, but quit doing coke (or whatever) until the fentanyl craze is cleaned up.

when I wrote

[quote] So was it heroin? or killer coke laced with fentanyl?

because R44 made it sound like this was a case of laced coke that killed Michael Williams.

[quote]Any news at all about a partner?

Whew gurl, Im sure by tomorrow there will be multiple queens coming forth trying to claim they were the male wife, when really they were just a concubine!

LSA has him and Tasha Smith as a couple. Good judys, I bet.

That’s sad.....he seemed like a good person. I’ve got to watch The Wire, I’m missing out.

[quote] No. Fentanyl has been trending because of those comedians (Fuquan Johnson, Kate Quigley etc.).

WHO??

“I know who Sean Penn is! I've seen Milk!"

[Quote] I'm tired of wasting time worrying about what people think of me, self doubt and fear.

Hmm.

Fentanyl is not a "craze". The potency is unpredictable. It's a white powder--it winds up as "heroin" or as part of cocaine or meth. If you're going to talk about drugs, learn about them first.

I can’t believe Michael T Williams died of an absinth overdose! People, please stop drinking psilocybin tea (or whatever) until this LSD + absinthe craze dies down.

He seemed like a good guy

R87, that makes sense.

I'm an addict and my dad died when I was five.

By all accounts, he was a great guy. I have memories of him playing with me and my brothers.

We were left soooo fucked up by his death.

I didn't have much luck at relationships as a result; or maybe it's just me.

Get into therapy r98

R99; thanks; I think I will..

It's again, but I will.

He was great in Boardwalk Empire. Very sad.

This is genuinely sad. He was an immense talent.

One of the best talents out there. Every second of his work on The Wire was award worthy, 10 times over.

Why? Why do the real deal, good people who are so fucking speacial, taken out so early.

I just found out and I’m very saddened by this loss.

May he RIP.

The Wire was always going to be good TV but it was Omar, Bubbles & Stringer that made it world class, imo. Unforgettable characters, especially Omar.

Such a huge loss.

I remember his appearance on Finding Your Roots was quite moving.

It's worth a watch if you can track the episode down.

R69 Yeah, I've never understood that bullshit either, that "their same-sex feelings are a side effect of their assault."

If you were traumatized by a same sex assualt, why the hell would that make you crave/want same sex intercourse when you're older?

But, there's a lot of homos who buy into this shit. I had a roommate in the 80s who was quite bitter over a youthful sexual assault and blamed it for making him gay. I was always like, "huh?"

I don't see Tobias Menzies being part of a Emmy sweep for The Crown. He didn't have any major big episodes this last season.

That, and he's rather boring as an actor. I'm not sure why he even got a nomination this year.

And, off topic, it's fucking ridiculous these acting categories now can have so many damn nominees...this one has EIGHT, which seems ludicrous.

he alwys had such a mean grouchy look on his face........junkie.

Nothing about fentanyl has been confirmed. It is still possible to OD by heroin the old fashioned way. Reel it the fuck in, ole bargain bucket Miss Marples.

daily mail sez twass fent.

I live near him and used to see him around a lot. He was an absolute sweetheart, always talking to people who approached him in stores and delis.

This is awful. Poor man. So so brilliant.

[Quote] I met Mike back in 93 through June Ambrose. She cast him for a Karl Kani show at the Black Expo - Tyson Beckford was also in the same show. Mike was straight up BANJI back then, he was a "House" boy through and through. When he made it big he never gave any comments about his sexuality but he didn't need to. A lot of his "nephews" were younger gay men that he mentored and his son was not his biological seed. He and Tasha were not together.

Thats funny r112...i posted above as being Michael's neighbor. The woman at the deli up the road always used to ask how his son was doing. I just assumed maybe he had a kid very young. Makes sense now.

This is esoteric as all get out, but stick it out for the end. So haunting in light of his overdose.

I certainly don't think that being sexually assaulted as a child/youth "makes" you gay. I could see it making someone not want to admit they were gay. Maybe they might feel the fact they were gay "invited" the molestation - children can think weird things and blame themselves for their own victimization. Refusing to admit their sexuality may be a misguided coping mechanism.

If their molester was same sex then maybe they would have an aversion to that sex despite being same sex attracted.

Just playing an armchair shrink here.

Sad to think he had to deal with those issues and it helped fueled self destructive habits. I'm glad he was able to enjoy the fruits of his talent for a while at least.

[Quote] Michael K Williams @bkbmg was a friend and truly a beautiful human being! Not only was he hard working and extremely talented, he was gracious. I saw him last week and he held up traffic, jumped out his car to give me a hug and tell me that he loved me! He said “life is too short and I’m not going to miss this opportunity”. I said I love you too! That’s what he left me with! I had to unpack my emotions by sharing that! All I can say is call a friend, a love one, be relentless with your LOVE.

Antigay types love to hear gay people were molested. They use it for their "gays can't reproduce so they recruit" narrative. I suspect Michael K Williams and Nelsan Ellis had a lot of parallels.

Sex before 8 before it’s too late - NAMBLA

R113, I think it’s possible the deli lady thought Williams’ nephew was his son.

But did they watch any of the other shows r107? I guess Handmaid's Tale but I feel like the Emmy voters watch very little TV. Maybe Bradley Whitford will win since he's known.

I'm sure the academy is hoping Williams won. Another dead black guy losing in one year won't go over well on twitter.

Sad to think he couldn't stay clean. May have been a hot shot or not. Dealers have stepped on drugs forever to increase their profits. In the 60's they used strychnine in heroin. Baby laxative, baking powder in coke. You name it they'll use it if it can get over & make them more dough. Drugs dealers are real capitalists in the truest, hardest sense. You aren't human to them, you're just a dollar sign.

Money, property, prestige 3 of the greatest impediments to staying clean & sober. The other 2 are looks & brains. If you've got any or all of these, you've got to stay frosty & rigorous about staying away from the 'next one'.

Peace to you Michael..at least the fight is over. Rest, rest, rest in peace.

Not a peep from Susan Dey. Shameful.

Susan Dey don't go for booze and dope.

Is it me or is the media strangely silent about his death?

[quote]Ravens play Omar whistling in fan suggested-tribute to Michael K. Williams tribute

Omar was the best character on the Wire. RIP

Kudos, unfortunately, to r34, for correctly predicting that The Crown would win everything and Williams would be robbed yet again. I foolishly had faith in a different outcome, but you were correct. Stupid me.

One of the best actors!

how embarassing, going out on a bad batch of blow......bummer

You take the shot, you've rolled the dice. It's on you.

So bold and brave of r129 to resurrect this thread with brilliant new insights!

did the Emmys vote after or befoe he died?

So whack, to get shitty coke and jus croak......pitiful

Her-on, not coke.

R17 I don't think so. It can make a confused sexuality, maybe bisexual leaning, but if the abuse created homosexuals there would really be many more gays in the world. First of all among catholics, not to mention Arabs and other communities.

Interesting story about Michael’s estate and the family he left behind:

Was he a bottom? Who here had him?

Tyson Beckford.

makes a show bout evils of drugs. then dies from bad crack. wtf.

He also seemed to have got involved with religious types, which is not great for gay men.

And they still makin $ off him, new episodes. he died from bad crack.....geez.