The Wire actor James Ransone dies at 46 from suicide

James Ransone, the American actor best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka in HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire, has died at the age of 46.

According to official records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, the actor passed away on Friday in Los Angeles. Authorities listed the cause of death as suicide. No further details were provided.

Ransone is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children. In the days following his death, McPhee added a fundraiser benefiting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to her social media profile, Daily Mail reported.

Ransone rose to prominence for his role as Ziggy Sobotka, the troubled dock worker and son of union leader Frank Sobotka, during season two of The Wire, which aired in 2003. He appeared in 12 episodes of the series, which ran from 2002 to 2008 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television dramas of all time.

The show featured an ensemble cast that included Dominic West, Michael Kenneth Williams, Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, and Wood Harris.

Beyond The Wire, Ransone became a familiar face across HBO productions, appearing in Generation Kill and Treme. He also had roles in Bosch and most recently appeared earlier this year in Poker Face.

His film career spanned a wide range of genres, with credits including Prom Night, Sinister, Tangerine, IT Chapter Two, The Black Phone, and the upcoming Black Phone 2.

In recent years, Ransone had been open about personal struggles. In 2021, he shared publicly that he was a survivor of sexual abuse. He also spoke candidly about addiction and recovery, revealing in a 2016 interview that he became sober at age 27 after years of heroin use.

His death has sparked an outpouring of grief from fans and colleagues who followed his career from gritty television roles to indie and mainstream films.