Former Baltimore gangster Nathan Barksdale, who inspired several characters on The Wire including drug kingpin Avon Barksdale, died in federal medical prison in North Carolina, The Baltimore Sun reports. He was 54.
Spokespeople for Baltimore's Health Department, as well as an official at the medical prison in Butner, N.C. confirmed Barksdale's death, but no cause of death was given.
The real Barksdale, who went by the nickname "Bodie" — the name of a low-level dealer in the fake Barksdale's organization — rose to power in the Eighties, dealing heroin out of the Murphy Homes in West Baltimore.
Spokespeople for Baltimore's Health Department, as well as an official at the medical prison in Butner, N.C. confirmed Barksdale's death, but no cause of death was given.
The real Barksdale, who went by the nickname "Bodie" — the name of a low-level dealer in the fake Barksdale's organization — rose to power in the Eighties, dealing heroin out of the Murphy Homes in West Baltimore.
- 2/16/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Melvin Williams, the former Baltimore drug dealer who is said to have inspired The Wire and later appeared in it, died on Thursday. Melvin Williams, Reformed Drug Kingpin, Dead at 73 Williams reportedly died at the University of Maryland Medical Center; he told friends that he had cancer. Williams ruled over West Baltimore’s drug trafficking […]
The post Melvin Williams, The Inspiration Behind HBO’s ‘The Wire,’ Is Dead at 73 appeared first on uInterview.
The post Melvin Williams, The Inspiration Behind HBO’s ‘The Wire,’ Is Dead at 73 appeared first on uInterview.
- 12/5/2015
- by Shantel Whitaker
- Uinterview
Scott Weiland, best known as the fronton for the Stone Temple Pilots, was found dead on Thursday night. He was 48. The singer was on tour in Minnesota with his band, the Wildabouts, when he was discovered unresponsive on their tour bus at around 9 p.m., according to multiple media reports. A scheduled show at the Medina Ballroom was then canceled. Weiland’s manager, Tom Vitorino confirmed to TheWrap that the rock star was found dead Thursday but could not give further details. Also Read: Melvin Williams, Inspiration for 'The Wire,' Dead at 73 Dave Navarro was the first fellow...
- 12/4/2015
- by Debbie Emery and Pamela Chelin
- The Wrap
Melvin Williams, a former Baltimore drug kingpin who served in part as the inspiration for The Wire's Avon Barksdale, has died at 73, the Baltimore Sun reports. The Wire's co-creator David Simon reported on Williams during his time at the Sun and also gave Williams a small part on the critically acclaimed series.Known as "Little Melvin" during his days in the drug trade in the 60s and 70s, Williams served several years in federal prison before launching on a path of redemption that led him to speak out against drug use and gang culture. During his time as a dealer, he ran a trade that grossed nearly $1 million a day and was organized in manner similar to that of Avon Barksdale's in the first season of The Wire. In 1987, Simon wrote a five-part series on the man (which the Sun has shared on its website) whom Simon...
- 12/4/2015
- Vulture
Melvin Williams, a former drug kingpin who helped inspire The Wire, died Thursday in Baltimore, the The Baltimore Sun reports. He was 73.
Nicknamed "Little Melvin," Williams once was a powerful force in the Baltimore drug trade in the 1970s and 1980s before he served years in a federal prison and turned away from crime. His life inspired The Wire creator David Simon, who penned a five-part Baltimore Sun profile of the former drug trafficker in 1987. He is thought to have inspired the character Avon Barksdale, played by Wood Harris on the show.
Williams was released from prison in 1996, and had...
Nicknamed "Little Melvin," Williams once was a powerful force in the Baltimore drug trade in the 1970s and 1980s before he served years in a federal prison and turned away from crime. His life inspired The Wire creator David Simon, who penned a five-part Baltimore Sun profile of the former drug trafficker in 1987. He is thought to have inspired the character Avon Barksdale, played by Wood Harris on the show.
Williams was released from prison in 1996, and had...
- 12/4/2015
- by Aaron Couch, @AaronCouch
- People.com - TV Watch
Melvin Williams, notorious as the man behind an illegal drugs empire in 1970s Baltimore who later reformed and ultimately appeared on HBO’s The Wire died this morning at 73 from undisclosed causes. Born in 1941, Williams became involved in the drug trade in the 1960s, first achieving notoriety after helping to quell riots in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He became involved seriously in drug trafficking in the 1970s through the early 80s…...
- 12/3/2015
- Deadline TV
Melvin Williams, the inspiration for HBO’s “The Wire,” died on Thursday. He was 73. Nicknamed, “Little Melvin,” Williams’ past as a drug kingpin in the ’60s is said to have been the inspiration for Wood Harris’ character Avon Barksdale on the critically acclaimed drama. Williams eventually left the drug trade and went on to work with local pastors. He also had a recurring role on the series as Deacon, a pastor giving aid to West Baltimore youth. Also read: 'The Wire' Creator Condemns 'Selfishness' of Baltimore Rioters: 'The Violence Needs to Cease' Series creator David Simon tweeted his respects to Williams on Thursday.
- 12/3/2015
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Melvin Williams -- the Baltimore drug dealer whose life inspired the classic television show "The Wire" -- died Thursday in Maryland. He was 73. Williams was a powerful drug dealer in the '70s and '80s and served several years behind bars for trafficking. He was profiled for the Baltimore Sun in 1987 by David Simon, who went on to create "The Wire." Williams -- who had a small role on the show as Deacon --...
- 12/3/2015
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Melvin Williams, the former West Baltimore drug kingpin who helped inspire both the character of Avon Barksdale on "The Wire" and the creative partnership that led to the series, and who later had a recurring role on the show, died this morning at 73, according to the Baltimore Sun. "Wire" co-creators David Simon (a Sun reporter at the time) and Ed Burns (then a Baltimore homicide detective) first met in the aftermath of a sprawling joint DEA taskforce investigation into Williams' organization that Burns had worked. Simon was inspired by the case to make it and Williams the subjects of his first big Sunday profile. While Simon reported the story (here's a Pdf of the whole thing), he and Burns hit it off well enough that Burns would become a frequent source for Simon, and later his collaborator on the classic HBO drama. Williams served many years in federal prison, and...
- 12/3/2015
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
I've said it before and I'll say it again, HBO's The Wire is one of the great TV series ever made. If you still haven't seen it yet please make the time to watch it. I promise you won't regret it. In fact, you'll kick yourself in the ass for not having watched it sooner.
It's been 10 years since the show premiered on HBO, and Maxim has posted a fantastic oral history of the show. The creator of the show David Simon, writer/co-exec producer Ed Burns, and stars Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, and several more pretty much discuss everything about the show. How it came into existence, the frustrations of working in Baltimore, what they did in their downtime, how they felt when Emmy voters ignored the show, and how the actors handled their characters getting killed off.
This is seriously a great read, and I...
It's been 10 years since the show premiered on HBO, and Maxim has posted a fantastic oral history of the show. The creator of the show David Simon, writer/co-exec producer Ed Burns, and stars Dominic West, Idris Elba, Michael K. Williams, and several more pretty much discuss everything about the show. How it came into existence, the frustrations of working in Baltimore, what they did in their downtime, how they felt when Emmy voters ignored the show, and how the actors handled their characters getting killed off.
This is seriously a great read, and I...
- 6/1/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
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