Celebs React to Michael K. Williams’ Death: Jeffrey Dean Morgan and More

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Celebs React to Michael K. Williams' Death: Jeffrey Dean Morgan and More

Mourning Michael K. Williams. The Wire’s Wendell Pierce and more celebrities honored the late actor after news broke of his death on Monday, September 6. "It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams,” the 54-year-old’s rep told The Hollywood Reporter. "They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.” The New York native, is best known for his roles on The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Lovecraft Country and When They See Us. He reflected on a “difficult” part of his life in a July 2016 NPR interview. “I was broken,” Williams said of the time he spent filming season 3 of The Wire. "I was on drugs, and I was in jeopardy of destroying everything that I had worked so hard for. And I came in [those church] doors, and I met a man who had never even heard of The Wire, much less watched it. He was somewhere else in the Bronx preaching at another church when I first went there. And he stopped everything he was doing, ran back to New Jersey just because his team at the church told him that someone … was in trouble and needed to speak to him. He never judged. You know, he just nudged.” The Emmy nominee noted that his drug use stemmed from not feeling “worthy of the opportunity” to star in the HBO show. [jwplayer NIknqCXt-zhNYySv2] “I definitely wore that dark energy that [my character], Omar, was,” Williams explained. "He was a dark soul, tortured soul. And I just woke all of that up and lived in that. And that's what people was attracted to. I just didn't know how to differentiate, 'OK, that is Omar's love, and then you have Michael's love.' The lines got blurred.” The Bessie star also reflected on getting into a bar fight at age 25, which resulted in the facial scar that he calls a “turning point” in his career. "Directors didn't want me just to dance in the videos anymore. They wanted me to act out these thug roles,” Williams told NPR. "Mike, roll these dice in this video. Have this fight in this video.' I was like, ‘All right.’” Many celebrities have spoken out in the wake of Williams’ death, from Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan to Criminal Minds' Aisha Tyler. Keep scrolling to s their set tributes to the 12 Years a Slave star. [podcast_block]

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Celebs React to Michael K. Williams' Death: Jeffrey Dean Morgan and More

Mourning Michael K. Williams. The Wire’s Wendell Pierce and more celebrities honored the late actor after news broke of his death on Monday, September 6. "It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams,” the 54-year-old’s rep told The Hollywood Reporter. "They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.” The New York native, is best known for his roles on The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Lovecraft Country and When They See Us. He reflected on a “difficult” part of his life in a July 2016 NPR interview. “I was broken,” Williams said of the time he spent filming season 3 of The Wire. "I was on drugs, and I was in jeopardy of destroying everything that I had worked so hard for. And I came in [those church] doors, and I met a man who had never even heard of The Wire, much less watched it. He was somewhere else in the Bronx preaching at another church when I first went there. And he stopped everything he was doing, ran back to New Jersey just because his team at the church told him that someone … was in trouble and needed to speak to him. He never judged. You know, he just nudged.” The Emmy nominee noted that his drug use stemmed from not feeling “worthy of the opportunity” to star in the HBO show. [jwplayer NIknqCXt-zhNYySv2] “I definitely wore that dark energy that [my character], Omar, was,” Williams explained. "He was a dark soul, tortured soul. And I just woke all of that up and lived in that. And that's what people was attracted to. I just didn't know how to differentiate, 'OK, that is Omar's love, and then you have Michael's love.' The lines got blurred.” The Bessie star also reflected on getting into a bar fight at age 25, which resulted in the facial scar that he calls a “turning point” in his career. "Directors didn't want me just to dance in the videos anymore. They wanted me to act out these thug roles,” Williams told NPR. "Mike, roll these dice in this video. Have this fight in this video.' I was like, ‘All right.’” Many celebrities have spoken out in the wake of Williams’ death, from Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan to Criminal Minds' Aisha Tyler. Keep scrolling to s their set tributes to the 12 Years a Slave star. [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstock

Wendell Pierce

"The depth of my love for this brother can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss," Williams' former costar tweeted. "A immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition portraying the lives of those whose humanity is seldom elevated until he sings their truth."

Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

Jeffrey Dean Morgan

"Goddamn it. We lost one of our best, most talented," the actor wrote via Twitter. "RIP #MichaelKWilliams. Breaks my heart."

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Aisha Tyler

"Michael K Williams was a beautiful, passionate, expansive soul," the actress tweeted. "I felt so lucky to have known him, and we were all so fortunate to have enjoyed his incredible talent. He burned so very bright. Rest in power, MKW. You will forever be The King."

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Jerry O'Connell

"Rest in Peace King," the Talk cohost wrote via Instagram.

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Camrus Johnson

"I met Michael K. Williams about eight years ago when I was still a background actor and man was he cool," the Batwoman star told his Twitter followers. "He’s been one of the Black actors I’ve been able to look up to ever since, and I can’t believe he’s gone already. We lost another one. Dang. Rest in peace."