The US actor Michael K. Williams is dead. The 54-year-old star of the series "The Wire" was found dead in his apartment in New York, the police said on Monday.

The police did not provide any information about the cause of death.

The New York Post reported, citing investigative authorities, that Williams died as a result of an alleged drug overdose.

Williams had spoken openly in the media about his drug addiction in the past and said that he had spent a large part of his income from the series "The Wire" on drugs.

Williams became known to an international audience through his role as the gay robbery killer Omar Little in this hit HBO series.

The five seasons of the series about the rivalries of drug dealer gangs in the US city of Baltimore ran from 2002 to 2008.

A spokeswoman for the actor's family confirmed his death and asked that the privacy of the relatives of the celebrity, who comes from the New York borough of Brooklyn, be respected.

Colleagues and fans expressed their dismay at his death.

HBO stated, "While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend, loved by all who had the privilege of working with him."

Actor Tray Chaney, who played a drug dealer on "The Wire," said he was "devastated."

Williams was one of "the greatest actors / brothers in the world," he wrote on Twitter.

Best-selling horror writer Stephen King commented on the news on Twitter with the words "terrible, sad and incomprehensible".

A scar as a trademark

Williams has been nominated several times for the US television Emmy Award, for example this year for his role in the series "Lovecraft Country".

In 2015 he was nominated for his role as husband of the blues singer Bessie Smith in the film "Bessie", in 2016 for "The Night Of", in 2019 for "When They See Us".

Williams also appeared in the films "12 Years a Slave", "The Road" and "Gone Baby Gone".

Williams' identification mark was a scar on his face, which he claims to have suffered in a fight in New York on the night of his 25th birthday.

In an interview with NPR, he said the scar helped his career as it helped him move from being a background dancer in music videos for stars like Madonna and George Michael to speaking roles for tough characters in plays.

His first big screen breakthrough came when US rapper Tupac Shakur was making a movie in New York and cast Williams as his little brother after seeing a Polaroid photo of the actor. He was then hired for the role of a drug dealer in Martin Scorsese's "Bringing Out the Dead," before getting the role on "The Wire," which cemented his success.