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The drug fentanyl became a top trending topic on social media in the hours after news broke on Monday that Michael K. Williams was found dead in his apartment as people worked to determine the celebrated actor’s cause of death, which was not immediately confirmed.
There was no apparent proof that Williams’ death was attributed to fentanyl, which the Drug Enforcement Administration defines as “a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine.”
MORE: Michael K. Williams, Actor Who Starred As Omar In ‘The Wire,’ Dies At 54
But considering the recent overdose deaths of a Los Angeles-based comedian that was attributed to fentanyl, and Williams’ past battle with drug addiction, people on social media were attempting to connect the dots.
The details of Williams’ death were sparse. The most information reported was that the actor’s nephew found him dead in his penthouse in the trendy neighborhood of Williamsburg.
Quoting unnamed sources, the New York Post reported that “Williams was found dead of a suspected heroin overdose” when he was found “with what appeared to be heroin on the kitchen table.”
If true, Williams would be the second high-profile victim of a fatal drug overdose in the past three days after comedian Fuquan Johnson died on Friday. Johnson and two others died after using cocaine that was laced with fentanyl.
Fentanyl is the drug that was also attributed in the death of superstar singer Prince, who died in 2016 after high levels of the powerful opioid were found in his system.
Williams has admitted his past battles with drug addiction.
https://twitter.com/kbla1580/status/1434983175088869376?s=20
In 2012, he said he developed a drug habit while filming “The Wire,” a gritty street drama on HBO about drug dealers who sold heroin in Baltimore.
“I was playing with fire,” Williams said at the time. “It was just a matter of time before I got caught and my business ended up on the cover of a tabloid or I went to jail or, worse, I ended up dead. When I look back on it now, I don’t know how I didn’t end up in a body bag.”
Williams added later: “In the end, I was more comfortable with Omar’s skin than my own,” he said while referencing his “The Wire” character, Omar Little, who robbed drug dealers. “That was a problem… I had to stop trying to be Omar and just be Mike.”
Back then, Williams’ drug of choice was cocaine.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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Michael K. Williams, Actor Who Starred As Omar In ‘The Wire,’ Dies At 54
7 Quotes From ‘The Wire’ That Speak Directly To The Black Experience
Suspected Drug Overdose After Michael K. Williams Is Found Dead With ‘Heroin On The Kitchen Table’ was originally published on newsone.com
