New York City actor Michael K. Williams' final social media post implored fans not to cry for him just six days before he was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse - as it's revealed the pain of starring in a movie about a crooked drug treatment center, his final film, pushed him to try therapy for the first time.
The Wire star, who has had his own battle with drugs in the past, was found dead on Monday from a suspected heroin overdose.
In a tragic foreshadowing of his death, last week the 54-year-old posted on Instagram a video of Tracy Morgan telling fans 'Don't cry for me. OK', after his near fatal 2014 limousine crash.
In the video, Morgan said: 'I had a misfortunate accident. Don't cry for me. Cry for all the others, man.'
This comes just less than seven months since the beloved actor said he started therapy after filming HBO's 'Lovecraft Country' during the February 25 Tamron Hall Show and talked about the ongoing journey to recovery.
'I just started therapy, you know, and really taking that seriously and starting to unpack, like you said, the critic in my head and what and how that has affected my - my actions, my responses to certain situations, my relationships,' Williams said.
Michael K. Williams said he started therapy after filming wrapped up on the HBO series 'Lovecraft Country' during the February 25 Tamron Hall Show and talked about the ongoing journey to recovery
At the time, he was promoting the movie 'Body Brokers,' which delves into the shady underbelly of a ritzy drug-treatment facility in Malibu.
His role in the movie, he said, is a 'perfect' way to portray how 'people often think that when a person puts down the drugs or the alcohol, that all the problems go away.'
'That couldn't be further from the truth. Drugs and alcohol are not the problems, they're merely symptoms of the problem. And once those things go away, the real work begins.'
Last year, Williams played Montrose Freeman in the HBO series 'Lovecraft Country' (pictured). He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role
Williams is survived by an adult son named Elijah (left) and was last linked to actress Tasha Smith (right)
On Monday, Williams's nephew Arvance Williams told DailyMail.com that his famous uncle was excited about jetting to Los Angeles to attend the Emmys in less than two weeks time.
He was nominated for the award for his role in last year's HBO drama series 'Lovecraft Country,' for which he was a favorite to win the award.
'I was just with him. I just bought him some fabric so he can go to the Emmys, to put under his blazer. He just got nominated for an Emmy, and he was going to LA, so he was real excited about that,' Arvance Williams told DailyMail.com.
'You guys know him as the actor, we know him as Uncle Mike. We love him.
'My uncle was such a sweet person. A lot of the characters he played as mean and gangster. It was a joke, because he was totally not that way. Hw was a sweetheart. … A very gentle, gentle person. And I just look at some of the stuff he was doing [on screen] and I would just laugh because that's totally not him.'
By late afternoon, a number of Williams' nephews were seen outside the apartment complex. One of the men, Arvance Williams, called the death of his uncle 'heartbreaking'
Another nephew, Booker T. Williams (in glasses), was seen hugging a friend outside the apartment complex
Williams was best known for his role in the 'The Wire,' which ran from 2002 to 2008. More recently, Williams earned praise for his role in last year's drama, 'Lovecraft Country, for which he was a favorite to win the award.
HBO said in a statement following the news of Williams's death, saying, 'We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael K. Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years.'
