As many continue to process the sudden and tragic death of actor Michael K. Williams, Joe Budden recently opened up about the relationship he shared with the late star, revealing never-before-heard details during a new episode of the Joe Budden podcast.
According to Budden, his and Williams’s relationship originated in church during a turbulent period in both their lives. The private nature of their situation is likely the reason Budden and Williams never spoke publicly about their connection.
“I was f–ked up in ’09,” Joe began. “My mom was going to church. She did what any mom would do she said come to church. I see Michael K. Williams, but that don’t tell me nothing. […] Some type of way through the grace of God, now we have after meetings after church. It was a select chosen few of us that was dying. We shared sh-t in there that we probably don’t share nowhere.”
Without divulging specific details, Joe went on to explain that he related with Williams through a mutual pain.
“I’m sitting there and I’m like, ‘oh sh-t, we understand each other on a deeper level,'” he said as he began to tear up. “He was in pain and I seem to have an ability to be able to spot that guy in a f–king crowd. I fell in love with Mike in them meetings, man.”
Williams passed away on September 6th at the age of 54 of a suspected drug overdose. His sister, Compton city councilwoman Michelle Chambers, spoke on his battle of addiction shortly after his death.
“Addiction takes over your mind,” she wrote in a statement. “There are going to be times when you are going to fall off but get back up again. Mike would say, ‘get back up again.’ Try again, you got this.”