Melvin Williams, The Inspiration Behind HBO’s ‘The Wire,’ Is Dead at 73

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 circles for decades before his 1985 prison sentence, but later went on to counsel youth to help steer them away from drugs and gangs.

David Simon, creator of hit series The Wire, profiled Williams in a five-part series for the Sun, and described Williams as “West Baltimore’s man-child, quick-witted and calculating.”

“There’s a piece of Melvin in The Wire,” Simon said.

Many have speculated that The Wire character Avon Barksdale was specifically inspired by Williams. He even appeared on the show for a few seasons in the recurring role of the Deacon, a mentor figure.

Williams got the role after a meal with Simon and The Wire collaborator Edward Burns—one of the homicide detectives who worked Williams’ case decades ago.

Simon posted on Twitter on Thursday, paying his respects to Williams. “RIP to Melvin “Little Melvin” Williams, 73, who made me begin to rethink the drug war. You ended it free, brother,” he wrote.