Taraji P. Henson and The Wire castmate Wendell Pierce pay tribute to Michael K. Williams

Taraji P. Henson and fellow The Wire actors were among those who led celebrity tributes to Michael K. Williams after his death at 54.

Taraji, 50, took to Instagram on Monday to share a video of the five-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee along with a caption which read: ‘Rest well my friend. JESUS!!! You will be missed deeply.’

As Williams portrayed iconic character Omar Little on The Wire, several of his castmates from the HBO series also took to social media to honor their former co-star.   

Wendell Pierce, who portrayed Detective William ‘Bunk’ Moreland, over all five seasons shared a thread on Twitter with heartfelt thoughts which began: ‘The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss. 

‘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.

‘If you don’t know, you better ask somebody. His name was Michael K. Williams. He shared with me his secret fears then stepped out into his acting with true courage, acting in the face of fear, not in the absence of it. It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance.’ 

He continued by reflecting on their relationship and how their chemistry on screen translated to a real relationship away from the camera.

Pierce explained: ‘He was proud of the artist he had become, asking for my advice long after he had surpassed any incite I could have shared.Always truthful, never inauthentic. The kindest of persons. Like two mischievous kids, we would laugh & joke whenever we would meet. Like Baltimore years ago.

‘THE WIRE brought us together and immortalized Omar & Bunk in that “scene” on a park bench.But for us we aimed to take that moment in time together and say something about Black men. Our struggle with ourselves, internally, and each other. For me & Mike we had nothing but respect.

‘So to you, my brother Mike, there is a small comfort that I know, you knew how much we loved you.’

Pierce concluded with a quote from American playwright Arthur Miller. 

Isiah Whitlock Jr. – who played  State Sen. R. Clayton ‘Clay’ Davis  – wrote: ‘One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless.’

Tray Chaney, who played Malik ‘Poot’ Carr – posted a photo with the star and said: ‘RIP to the legend Michael K Williams aka one of the dopest Actors/Brother in the world. ‘I’m off the grid for a while hard to process this one.’

 Williams had been found dead of a suspected overdose inside his luxury Brooklyn penthouse.

The 54-year-old was discovered unconscious in the living room of his Williamsburg apartment by his nephew on Monday afternoon, a law enforcement source told The New York Post.

Medics rushed to the scene, but actor dead at 2:12pm.

Williams’ nephew went around to the apartment complex to check up on the star, who hadn’t been heard from in several days.

Heroin was reportedly found on the star’s kitchen table, and other drug paraphernalia was discovered elsewhere on in the apartment.

A police source told The Post: ‘No foul play is indicated. [There was] no forced entry, and the apartment was in order.’

Williams, a five-time Emmy nominee, was best known for his role in HBO’s The Wire. He played homosexual stick-up man Omar Little in the critically acclaimed series, which ran from 2002 to 2008. President Barack Obama once described The Wire as his favorite show and Omar as his favorite character.

Williams went on to star in several other hit series, including Boardwalk Empire and Lovecraft Country – for which he is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The star is survived by a son named Elijah.

Niecy Nash also paid tribute as she shared a gallery of snaps of them together with a sweet caption which read: ‘My God  Rest well friend @bkbmg You we’re a beautiful soul, a kind spirit & a good time… a talent beyond measure. 

‘Thank you for the many times we traded energy and you made me feel like family. You left us too soon… Praying for your loved ones #TheWire #WhenTheySeeUs’

Rosie Perez was obviously shocked by the news as she took to Twitter to write: ‘WTF!!!! My friend just died!!! And I get a f***ing alert to notify me?! WTF!!! 

‘Today is a f***ing horrible day! I’m destroyed! #RIPowerandPeace #MichaelKWilliams @BKBMG.’

Alec Baldwin, Aisha Tyler, George Takei, Lamorne Morris, Chance The Rapper, James Gunn, and Joel McHale were among the others who paid tribute to the talented star.

Tributes kept pouring in on Monday afternoon from Mariah Carey, who shared three throwback snaps of her posing with Williams.

‘A beautiful soul, a beautiful person, I’ll miss you always. Thank you for blessing us with your talent,’ the singer said in her caption. 

She also shared one of the images in her Instagram tribute on Twitter as well. 

Actress Viola Davis also shared a brief video montage of photos of Williams, along with a heartfelt tribute.

‘No! So sad. Man do I wish this were a different ending. Rest well. Praying for your loved ones,’ Davis said.

Mark Wahlberg also shared a tribute on Twitter, stating, ‘RIP Michael K. Williams, so brilliant in #BoardwalkEmpire. You will be missed.’

Supermodel Joan Smalls also took to Instagram with a touching tribute, which began, ‘This one hurt,’ with a broken heart emoji.

‘I had the honor to work with him and see the caring, humble and giving soul that he was. Inspiring many. Rest in Power #MichaelKWilliams.

Smalls and Williams worked together on the 2013 music video for A$AP Rocky’s video Phoenix. 

Another one of Williams’ co-stars, Kerry Washington, who starred alongside him 2007’s I Think I Love My Wife and 2008’s Miracle at St. Anna, shared a touching tribute.

‘So heartbroken. @bkmgn thank you for the beauty and joy you brought to the world,’ she began. 

‘Sending love and prayers to your friends, family and everyone who adored you me included ❤️ We adore you Sir,’ she concluded.

Aaron Paul, who starred alongside Williams in the 2016 crime thriller Triple 9, offered a heartfelt tribute of his own.

‘Michael, You embraced this world with a loving heart and a gentle smile. Everyone who knew you would say that you lifted them up with such ease and grace and that they became a better person by simply knowing you. I have had the privilege to know that heart of yours and I am heartbroken to lose it,’ Paul began. 

‘Thank you for chasing your dreams and teaching us all what it means to be decent. Your love for the craft will never be forgotten and I feel honored to have shared the screen with you brother. Wish I told you more of what an impact you had on me. Love and light my friend. Rest In Peace. A,’ Paul concluded.