Fellow celebrities and friends of Michael K. Williams have taken to social media to pay tribute to the recently deceased The Wire actor. Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment on September 6 at the age of 54. When the news of his passing broke, many felt moved to express what he meant to them, whether because of their personal experiences with him or simply as fans of his work.

Williams is perhaps best known for portraying Omar Little in HBO's The Wire, who is often seen as the best character in a series considered one of the greatest ever made. The combination of Omar's complexity on paper and Williams' compelling, soulful screen presence captivated audiences, and even Barack Obama named the Baltimore stick-up man as his favorite of the show's characters. The actor would continue to do quality work across a number of HBO programs, including Boardwalk EmpireThe Night Of, and most recently Lovecraft Country, for which he has a pending Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category.

Related: Who Is The Best HBO Character? It’s Obviously The Wire’s Omar

More than just a memorable performer, Williams clearly made an impact on those in his life, and many who knew him have flooded the internet with memories and tributes. Some, such as his The Wire co-star Wendell Pierce, wrote long threads aiming to capture what his friendship meant to them; others, such as the same show's creator David Simon, found themselves lost for words. The rapper Saul Williams recounted that Wikipedia mistakenly listed them as brothers for years, and rather than set the record straight, they embraced it as a sign of kinship. Read through some of the reactions below:

Among those to post tributes were Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn, The Walking Dead's Jeffery Dean Morgan, and The Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood. Lance Reddick, who played Cedric Daniels on The Wire, detailed in his video that although he and Williams did not stay close after the show's end, he has fond memories of his co-star. Fans of Williams' work have been posting clips and stills from various projects, including a short film in which he discusses racial typecasting with multiple versions of himself, but most frequently from his time as Omar.

This outpouring speaks to Williams' stature within the film and television community, and he clearly left an impression everywhere he went. In his video, Reddick says that while many will focus on celebrating Willams' tremendous talent as an actor, he was an even better person, and this seems to be a common refrain from those who knew him. Friends and fans alike can take comfort in knowing Williams leaves such a tremendous personal and professional legacy behind him and that his admirers will only grow in number as new viewers continue to discover his work.

Next: Why Lovecraft Country Was Cancelled (& What Season 2 Would've Been About)

Source: Various (see above)