Actor James Ransone, widely recognized for his role as Ziggy Sobotka in HBO’s acclaimed series The Wire, has died at the age of 46.

Authorities in the United States confirmed that the actor died by suicide on Friday in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Ransone was found deceased in a shed on the property, officials said. His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and colleagues who remembered him for his intense performances and long-standing career in film and television.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, James Ransone built a reputation as a versatile character actor.

He achieved international recognition in 2003 when he appeared in the second season of The Wire, portraying Ziggy Sobotka, the troubled son of dockworkers’ union leader Frank Sobotka, played by Chris Bauer. His performance stood out for its emotional depth and tragic complexity.

Ransone’s career

Ransone appeared in 12 episodes of The Wire, a series widely regarded as one of the most influential television productions of all time. The show aired from 2002 to 2008 and featured a cast that included Dominic West, Michael Kenneth Williams, Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, and Wendell Pierce.

Beyond The Wire, Ransone maintained a steady presence in television. He collaborated repeatedly with HBO, appearing in Generation Kill and Treme, and later joined the cast of Bosch. His most recent television role was a guest appearance in the second season of Poker Face, which aired in June of this year.

In film, Ransone worked across multiple genres, from horror to independent cinema. His credits include Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), and Mr. Right (2015). He also appeared in “It Chapter Two” (2019), expanding his reach to a new generation of audiences.

One of his final screen roles was in The Black Phone (2021). Ransone was set to return in The Black Phone 2, scheduled for release in 2025, making his death particularly shocking to fans and colleagues alike.

His consumption, traumas, and legacy

Ransone is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children. Following the announcement of his death, McPhee shared a link on social media to a fundraiser benefiting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an organization dedicated to mental health awareness, treatment, and prevention.

In recent years, James Ransone spoke openly about his personal struggles. In 2021, he publicly disclosed that he was a survivor of sexual abuse. He accused his former tutor, Timothy Rualo, of abusing him repeatedly over a six-month period in 1992, when Ransone was 12 years old.

He shared his testimony in a lengthy letter posted on Instagram, describing the long-lasting emotional and psychological impact of the abuse.

In the letter, Ransone detailed traumatic memories from his childhood and explained how those experiences contributed to substance abuse later in life, including alcoholism and heroin addiction. In multiple interviews, he said he achieved sobriety in 2006 and remained committed to recovery.

Ransone formally reported the abuse allegations to Baltimore County police in March 2020. However, later that year, he was informed that prosecutors declined to pursue charges. According to The Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office ultimately closed the case.

In a 2016 interview with Interview Magazine, Ransone reflected on his recovery journey, stating that he quit heroin at age 27, shortly before working on Generation Kill. He described sobriety as a turning point that allowed him to stabilize his life and career.

The death of James Ransone has renewed conversations about mental health, trauma, and the pressures faced by performers in the entertainment industry in the United States.