David Mills, award-winning writer of THE WIRE, has passed away. According to an HBO statement, Mills died of a brain aneurysm Tuesday night. He was 48.
Mills wrote for THE WIRE, NYPD BLUE, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET, ER, PICKET FENCES and the upcoming TREME. He got his start on HOMICDE and, over the course of his career, won two Emmys, a Writers Guild Award and an Edgar.

“HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague David Mills,” said a network statement. “He was a gracious and humble man, and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his brilliant work will live on.”

A number of people have shared their thoughts, including:
Alan Sepinwall of the NJ Ledger.
St. Petersburg Times TV critic Eric Deggans.
David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun
Tonight will be interesting, I will be sitting down to watch episodes two and three of TREME. Mills wrote episode three. I won’t pretend I knew anything about him, but I will say that he is responsible for some amazing episodes of the some of the finest television shows in the history of the medium. One of the things we can all hope to do is leave a mark on this world. David, through his writing, certainly has done that. He has forced myself and many others to think. For that, I thank him.