BODIE

Inspiration for ‘The Wire’ Characters Dies

Former Baltimore gangster Nathan Barksdale.

Nathan Barksdale, a former Baltimore gangster who inspired more than one character on HBO’s hit series The Wire, died at age 54 in a North Carolina medical prison. Barksdale was notorious for running a heroin operation before he was shot more than 20 times. Barksdale was also known as “Bodie,” and at least two characters on the show—Avon Barksdale and Preston “Bodie” Broadus—were inspired by his persona. Though he’d said he was reformed, Barksdale was arrested in 2014 in a DEA investigation. He was accused of taking part in a heroin conspiracy with members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang. He was serving a four-year sentence at the prison at the time of his death.