Jamie Foxx has broken his silence with regard to his friend, Michael K. Williams, who died at his Brooklyn home on September 6, aged 54.
The Oscar winner remembered the Lovecraft Country star in an Instagram post published Friday, explaining that it took him “a minute” to gather his “thoughts and emotions,” after hearing the news of his death.
“I wanted to do right by you with my words,” he wrote. “I wanted to let you know that you are beloved.”
Foxx shared in his post that he and Williams “broke bread” not too ago, which made hearing of his passing all the more surreal. “We talked about art… We talked about acting…” he shared. “You spoke of your mother in such a powerful and endearing way…about how she was your biggest fan…”
The actor added that while he was “always in awe” of Williams’ performances—how he could be “so grounded… So real,” there’s one New York night spent with the actor at a fashion show put on by Oswald Boteng that really sticks with him, as far as personal memories of their friendship.
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“The clothes were epic… The music was tailor-made… But the night belonged to you…[When] you walked out…We jumped to our feet…” he wrote. “We not only applauded the way you poured into the suit flawlessly… we cheered because we knew you were special… fearlessness… Mystique… And pure raw talent was before us.
“It was soul stirring…angelic… [a] glorious night,” added Foxx, who signed off by writing, “RIP MKW.”
The actor’s tribute to Williams came two days ahead of the Primetime Emmy Awards, where he looks to compete for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with his turn in HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
The horror drama series created by Misha Green centers on Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), who travels across the segregated U.S. in the 1950s in search of his missing father Moses (Williams). During his journey, he comes to experience firsthand the dark secrets plaguing a town, which is said to have inspired many of famed horror writer H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional tales.
Emmys voting closed prior to Williams’ death, with the actor presumed the frontrunner, though he’ll contend at tomorrow’s ceremony with The Handmaid’s Tale’s O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella and Bradley Whitford, The Crown’s Tobias Menzies, The Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito, Perry Mason’s John Lithgow, and This Is Us’ Chris Sullivan.
Foxx’s tribute to the five-time nominee, also known for The Wire, Boardwalk Empire and much more, can be found below.