COMPTON (CNS) - Compton City Councilwoman Michelle Chambers, sister of “The Wire'' actor Michael K. Williams, issued public thanks today for the outpouring of support the family has received following the actor's weekend death.
“Our family has been shaken to the core of the loss of our Mike. Thank you to everyone who contacted us, flooded us with love, and more importantly, prayers,'' Chambers said in a statement. “I will miss my brother, my best friend and birthday partner in this realm, but I know he will continue to watch over me and our family in heaven as he did on Earth.''
Williams, 54, was found dead in his New York apartment on Monday. An official cause of death has not been released, but police indicated he may have died from a drug overdose, according to reports out of New York. Williams, who also appeared in HBO's “Lovecraft Country'' and “Boardwalk Empire,'' has been open in recent years about his struggles with drug addiction.
Williams is nominated for an Emmy this year for his work on “Lovecraft Country.''
His death prompted an outpouring of grief from Hollywood and beyond.
Actor Edward Norton wrote on Twitter that he felt “punched in the gut'' by Williams' death.
“Getting to work with him was one of the greatest privileges I've had in my career,'' Norton said. “My admiration for his talent was boundless, like so many. If we was in a scene he was the best thing about it. Period.''
“The Wire'' creator David Simon wrote that he was “too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said. Michael was a fine man and a rare talent and on our journey together he always deserved the best words. And today those words won't come.''
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