Lupita Nyong’o mourns actor Michael K Williams, reveals they had been in touch for years

Celebrated actress Lupita Nyong’o has paid tribute to 'The Wire' star Michael K Williams, who was found dead on September 6 after a suspected drug overdose.

In an emotional post, Nyong’o, who attained international stardom after her role on the Academy Award Winning film '12 years A Slave', recalled her first encounter with the actor, and the supportive friendship that developed thereafter.

“I met Michael K Williams right after my audition for '12 years A Slave'. I sat next to him at dinner that night and was drawn to his kind eyes that were a direct contrast to the menacing scar that sat between them,” Lupita wrote on her official social media handles.

The actress described Williams as soft spoken and warm, revealing that she had asked him a question many would probably be curious about; how he got the prominent scar on his face.

“He gave me a smile and a light chuckle and said, ‘I have lived many lives, Lupita.’ And then he graciously told me the story, like he had never told it before. Michael went out of his way to make me feel like I belonged at a time when I really needed that reassurance,” Nyong’o wrote.

She then shared that they exchanged contacts on that day and stayed in touch ever since.

“We expressed wanting to work together. We never will. But I did watch his work. And he mine. We sent each other encouraging messages from afar. I’m glad he knew how much I valued him. I live on with the comfort of knowing he valued me too,” she wrote in the heartfelt post.

Lupita joins many celebrity friends and fans who have cried out at the untimely death of the revered actor, who has been described as kind, talented and courageous.  

 

   

 

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He played the role of Omar on the award winning television series.

Williams was found unresponsive in his New York City apartment. He had reportedly been unreachable for some days before a family member went to check up on him, according to TMZ.

“As Omar Little on 'The Wire', David Simon’s five-season epic on HBO that explored the gritty underworld of corruption, drugs and the police in Baltimore, Mr. Williams played perhaps the most memorable character in a series many consider among the best shows in television history,” The New York Times wrote in tribute.