September 8, 2025
The ‘The Wire’ actor died after taking fentanyl-laced heroin on Sept. 6, 2021.
Four years after Michael K. Williams died after taking fentanyl-laced heroin, friends and family members took a walk in remembrance of The Wire actor in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
The event, held on Saturday, Sept. 6, was also held to bring awareness to those struggling with addiction.
“I can see Michael winking at us. I can see him saying how happy he is that we’re working hard to address these huge challenges. Huge systemic challenges in our community,” Dominic Dupont, Williams’ cousin, told CBS 2 New York.
During the tribute walk, organizers announced the creation of the Michael K. Williams Legacy Award, an annual honor recognizing individuals and organizations who embody Michael’s spirit of artistry, activism, and community healing.
The inaugural award will be presented to Malik Yoba on October 23, 2025, at One Vanderbilt in New York City, according to a press release.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/video/loved-ones-of-late-actor-michael-k-williams-mark-4-years-since-his-death
Williams was revered for the various roles during his impressive, but abbreviated career.
Before his death, Williams received a 2021 Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in HBO’s Lovecraft Country and a 2019 Emmy nod for When They See Us, for playing the father of Antron McCray, one of the Exonerated Five, who was coerced into signing a false confession.
He is probably most famously known for playing the notorious Omar Little, the rogue stickup robber of drug dealers in the beloved HBO series,The Wire, a memorable role that set up an impressive string of TV and movie credits.
The person who sold Williams the tainted drugs that killed him, Irvin Cartagena, was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison nearly two years after Williams died. Once he is released, he will have supervised probation for five years. He was sentenced for conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogue.
Williams died Sept. 6, 2021, and was discovered in his apartment by his nephew.
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