Hollywood was stunned after news broke of actor Michael K. Williams’ death. The five-time Emmy nominated actor was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment by a nephew on Sept. 6, 2021, following a fatal overdose. Now that nephew, Dominic Dupont, is speaking out for the first time about his uncle and his journey to complete sobriety before his untimely death.
During his appearance on “Red Table Talk” this week with hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield-Norris, Dupont reflected on his uncle’s final days, noting that “Mike was doing well.”
“He was working on a book. It did not appear to me that Mike was sliding back into addiction,” he said of the actor’s last few days before the tragic discovery.
Williams served as a mentor for Duport, who spent two decades behind bars after allegedly killing a man while defending his twin brother. The two were very close. After his release, Dupont noted that even after being home for “four-and-a-half years,” his uncle “didn’t appear to be overwhelmed or dealing with any major issues.”
He added, “Michael also worked really hard not to have the things he was going through weigh on other people. And he was an actor, right. And you can fool people; you can convince people that you’re okay.” Still, Duport expressed that he is “positive” that his uncle “would not have knowingly taken fentanyl.” He added, “I know that like I know my first name.”
Dupont described finding his mentor’s lifeless body, telling the host he “immediately called 911” and was asked whether he wanted to “start some compressions.” However, the young man told the hosts that he knew it wouldn’t help. “I’m telling you, he’s deceased. He’s gone,” he added, recalling what he told operators on the other end of the line.
Following Williams’ death, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed that the actor died of “acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.” The manner was also ruled accidental.
Last February, officials arrested four men whom they believed were members of a drug trafficking organization and were involved with selling the fentanyl-laced heroin to the 54-year-old.
Irvin Cartagena, 39, Hector Robles, 57, Luis Cruz, 56 and Carlos Macci, 70, all have been charged with “conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue, fentanyl, and heroin.” If found guilty, they will receive prison sentences of between five and 40 years.
