Emmy-nominee Michael K Williams, who played the character Omar Little in TV series The Wire, was found dead in his New York apartment on Monday, police said. He was 54.

The actor's representative said it was "with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams." "They ask for your privacy while grieving this," said the statement from Marianna Shafran of Shafran PR.

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An officer for the New York Police Department told AFP that Williams had been found dead in his apartment in Brooklyn by a family member. No official cause of death was given, but several US media quoted law enforcement sources as saying they suspected a possible drug overdose.

Williams had spoken openly of his past struggles with drug addiction and had told US media that he had spent much of his earnings from The Wire on narcotics. The NYPD told AFP the cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.

(Source: AFP/NDTV)