After the loss of comedian Fuquan Johnson and established actor Michael K. Williams, Tiffany Haddish is encouraging people to “find another way” to get through their struggle rather than using drugs.
Last Friday, it was announced that comedian Johnson and two other men died of an overdose from cocaine laced with fentanyl. He died in his Venice, California, home. Another comedian linked to Johnson named Kate Quigley was hospitalized and was in critical condition but is now doing “ok.” Just three days later, “Lovecraft Country” star Williams was found deceased in his New York City apartment. While the cause of his death has not been confirmed, investigators believe he too died of an overdose after finding drug paraphernalia in his apartment.
While speaking to TMZ on Sept. 8, Haddish said, “I don’t know what it feels like to do those types of drugs, but it must feel amazing, but there’s other things that feel amazing too.” She continued, “I do know there has to be another way. I mean there’s so many other people that’s functioning without drugs. You can function without it too.”
Reflecting on the death of Fuquan, 43, and Williams, 54, Haddish admitted that the news made her “messed up.” “I knew Fuquan very well,” she said, describing him as “my boy.” She continued, “I didn’t know he was into, whatever he was into. I just knew him as a very funny guy, we had a lot of fun together, we used to laugh a lot.”
Getting emotional, the “Girls Trip” actress said, “I’m wishing his parents and his family as much healing as possible and peace.” She said “It hurts. We lost some talented people this week, and it’s very sad, very disheartening.”
Haddish went on to open up about the moments she had with Williams and Johnson. She praised “Fu” for being “one of the dopest writers” and said Williams used to come to her comedy shows before she got big and said he was a “big fan” of hers.
But Haddish explained that her two friends are “no longer suffering.” “They’re no longer hurting. They’re no longer in need to escape. They’re resting now. But we’re going to miss them a lot,” she said as she teared up.
Fentanyl is a drug used to treat severe pain but is “50 to 100 times more potent” than morphine, according to the National Institutes of Health. Fentanyl is typically mixed with other illegally abused drugs because it is more effective. “This is because it takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, making it a cheaper option.” The CDC reported that drug overdose deaths reached a record high of 93,331 deaths just last year.
