Nathan Barksdale Dies; Drug Kingpin and Inspiration For The Wire Was 54

Nathan Barksdale – the Baltimore drug kingpin who served as the inspiration for Avon Barksdale and several other characters in the acclaimed HBO series The Wire – has passed away.

He was 54 years old.

While running his city’s largest heroin distribution ring in the 1980s, Barksdale was shot more than 20 times and had to have his right leg amputated below the knee.

Shortly thereafter, he was arrested on assault charges and sentenced to 15 years behind bars.

It was during his trial that Barksdale first caught the attention of Baltimore Sun reported David Simon, who went to create The Wire.

After qualifying for early release in 1994, Barksdale became a spokesman the anti-violence initiative Safe Streets.

He also worked closely with the cast and production crew of The Wire in helping to bring the story of Baltimore’s rampant drug and violent crime problems to the screen.

Barksdale was even the subject of a documentary about his life and rehabilitation that was released at the height of the show’s popularity.

“In real life he was one of the most notorious and resilient gangster drug kingpins Baltimore has ever seen,” says the film’s narrator at one point. “He was a magnet for violence.”

Sadly – yet somewhat appropriately – Barksdale was ensnared in a DEA wiretap in 2014 and sentenced to four years behind bars.

He died in federal prison earlier this week.

Along with Melvin Williams who served as the basis for several characters and played the character of the Deacon on the show, Barksdale is the second Wire inspiration to prematurely pass away in past year.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016

Melvin Williams Dies; The Wire Actor Was 73

In his youth, Melvin Williams was a West Baltimore drug lord who served many years in prison after being arrested by a police officer named Ed Burns in 1984.

Decades later, when Burns was co-creating the acclaimed HBO series The Wire, he used Williams as the inspiration for the ruthless Avon Barksdale – and he showed his gratitude to Williams by casting him as one of the show’s most sympathetic characters:

Williams appeared as The Deacon on several episodes of The Wire during the series’ third and fourth seasons. Though he’d never acted before, his genuine, compassionate performance drew raves from critics.

Interestingly, Williams crossed paths with both of the show’s creators in his days as a dealer-turned-convict. 

Former journalist and The Wire executive producer David Simon wrote a revealing profile of Williams during his time with The Baltimore Sun:

“He was West Baltimore’s man child,” Simon wrote, “quick witted and calculating, a prodigy from Pennsylvania Avenue’s pool halls and juke joints, where the hustler’s game was played night after night.”

At the peak of his power, Williams was such a feared and respected figure that city officials called upon him to help quell the riots that followed the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of course, ironically, Williams greatest legacy will always be his role in the wiretap investigation that led to his arrest  – and inspired a cop and a newspaperman to create one of TV’s greatest dramas.

View Slideshow: Celebrities We Lost in 2015