Akon claims rich and famous stars have ‘more issues than poor people’ as he reacts to Michael K Williams’ death

Akon has shared his thoughts about wealth and fame following the death of Michael K Williams (Picture: Rex)

Musician Akon believes the rich and famous have ‘more issues’ than poor people.

The Lonely hitmaker believes the passing of Michael K. Williams – who was found dead at his home from an alleged drug overdose on Monday aged 54 – is yet another example of what the ‘facade of success’ can do to a person.

He argued: ‘This business creates an environment where everyone’s wearing a mask. The famous and the rich go through more issues than the poor. More money, more problems.’

The 48-year-old artist was quick to urge anyone experiencing drug addiction to seek help and find other ways of coping with their problems.

He told TMZ: ‘I would advise anyone who’s on any kind of drugs of that nature just let it go. There’s other ways to cope with issues and challenges in your life besides drugs and alcohol.’

The I Wanna Love You hitmaker proudly told of how he deals with his problems and how he is unashamed to ask for help when he needs it.

Williams was loved for his work as an actor in shows such as The Wire and Broadwalk Empire (Picture: HBO)

He continued: ‘I face my problems head-on. Whatever challenges I have I’ll face it, because if you don’t face it it’s gonna haunt you. I’m not afraid to ask for help. If I need it, I’m gonna ask.’

Akon confirmed he had not seen his pal Michael since before the coronavirus pandemic but was quick to call him an ‘amazing person’ who was ‘super funny and super talented.’

Less than a week before Michael’s lifeless body was discovered by his nephew, the Boardwalk Empire star had seemingly urged fans not to ‘cry’ for him in a cryptic post on Instagram.

Akon and Williams became friends over the years (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

The clip featured his friend Tracy Morgan urging fans not to pity him while talking about surviving a limousine crash in 2014.

In the clip, the 52-year-old comedian said: ‘Don’t cry for me. OK I had a misfortunate accident. Don’t cry for me. Cry for all the others, man.

‘My grandmother told me when you think you doing bad, there’s always somebody out there worse. There’s people out there in the world with nobody to love and nobody to love them.

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‘How about that? … You know what true happiness is? Having something to look forward to.’

It’s not known for sure whether Michael’s post on Instagram was a cryptic cry for help or just a coincidence.

Friends and fans alike have been mourning the loss of the actor ever since the news of his death was made public. His cause of death is yet to be confirmed.