Michael K. Williams’ family is reflecting on his untimely death.
Nearly four years after the Wire alum died from a drug overdose at age 54, his sister Michelle Chambers spoke out about his passing—and insisted that the fatal incident was anything but intentional.
“He didn’t want to die, be poisoned or ingest that poison,” she said in a preview clip from the upcoming A&E documentary Fame and Fentanyl shared exclusively with E! News. “And darn sure didn’t do it willingly.”
In September 2021, a New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed to E! News that the actor had been found dead inside his home. Weeks later, the city’s Chief Medical Examiner confirmed his death was caused by acute intoxication from the “combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine,” with the manner of death listed as accidental.
Meanwhile, authorities announced in February 2022 that four men had been arrested in connection to the five-time Emmy nominee’s death. One of the accused, Carlos Macci, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release in July 2023 after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing narcotics, according to NBC News.
Macci addressed the court moments before his verdict was read, telling the judge in the case he was “sorry for what has happened.”
The following month, Irvin Cartagena was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, resulting in Michael’s death. He was also given five years of supervised release, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding Michael’s passing, Michelle remembered her her late brother fondly, sharing what she cherished most about him.
“I just miss his kindness,” she continued in the doc. “He was such a gentle, kind soul… He was a heart that this world didn’t deserve.”
Fame and Fentanyl, hosted and executive produced by Ice-T, premieres Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on A&E.
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