Hollywood Pays Tribute to the Late Michael K. Williams

Colleagues and collaborators are honoring Michael K. Williams after he was found deceased inside his Brooklyn apartment Monday at the age of 54.

On Monday, law enforcement sources told the New York Post that the actor — a five-time Emmy nominee known for his roles in acclaimed TV shows such as “The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “Lovecraft Country” — was discovered face-down and unresponsive in his dining room with what appeared to be drugs on the kitchen table.

Reportedly, Williams was supposed to attend an event Saturday but did not show up.

Insiders say that a relative, who spoke with him Friday, went to his residence on Monday. An unidentified person then called authorities before 2 p.m. saying there was a man at the apartment who was “unresponsive’’ and “feels cold.”

Sources say Williams was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., and that it appears he had overdosed.

A different law enforcement source told People that Williams may have taken heroin laced with fentanyl.

“No foul play indicated,’’ a police insider told the Post. “No forced entry, the apartment was in order.’’

That day, Williams’ rep confirmed the tragic news in a statement provided to outlets including The Hollywood Reporter.

“It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this insurmountable loss,” his longtime rep, Marianna Shafran of Shafran PR, said.

After the devastating announcement broke, Williams’ “Wire” co-star Wendell Pierce and creator David Simon wrote tributes on social media.

On Instagram, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who directed Williams in the 2019 Netflix miniseries “When They See Us,” reminisced about their time on set.

Fellow actors — including Niecy Nash, Damson Idris, and our very own Loni Love — also paid their respects on social media.

Williams had been open about his addiction issues and in 2016, he told NPR that he sought help at a New Jersey church while filming “The Wire.”

“When I came through those doors, I was broken. This was, I would say, around the third season of ‘The Wire.’ I was on drugs. I was in jeopardy of destroying everything I had worked so hard for, and I came in those doors and I met a man who had never even heard of ‘The Wire,’ much less watched it.’”

He also told the New York Times in 2017, “Addiction doesn’t go away. It’s an everyday struggle for me, but I’m fighting.”