The widow of actor James Ransone has broken her silence in a heart-wrenching social media post after “The Wire” star was found dead by suicide on Friday.
“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again,” Ransone’s wife, Jamie McPhee, wrote on Instagram Sunday night with a picture of them smiling together while the actor has his hand over her pregnant stomach.
“You told me – I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me – and you were so right.”
His grieving wife thanked her late husband for giving her “the greatest gifts,” their 6-year-old son, Jack, and 4-year-old daughter, Violet.
“We are forever,” she concluded.
Ransone, 46, died by suicide on Dec. 19, according to the LA County Medical Examiner.
His cause of death was listed as “hanging,” while his place of death was listed as “shed,” records show.
A GoFundMe link shared on McPhee’s social media profile was created to help the mother of two and her children “navigate life after an unimaginable loss.”
“Its purpose is simple: to give Jamie the space to focus fully on Jack and Violet, to care for them, protect their sense of security, and ensure they have a bright future—even without James’s light present in their everyday lives,” the fundraising page shared.
The fundraiser has raised more than $40k as of Monday morning.
McPhee also posted a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in her social media profile.
As news of Ransone’s death on Sunday spread, directors, co-stars, and fans have begun sharing tributes to the “Sinister” actor.
“Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, Mr. James Ransone. We Rocked Together On Red Hook Summer And Inside Man,” director Spike Lee posted on Instagram.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Sean Baker, who worked with Ransone on “Tangerine” and “Starlet,” wrote, “I’ll miss you dearly, my friend.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be there for you, brother. Rest in Peace James Ransone,” Ransone’s co-star from “The Wire,” Wendell Pierce, posted on X.
In the years before his death, Ransone spoke openly about personal struggles, including revealing in 2021 that he survived sexual abuse.
The actor said that his former tutor, Timothy Rualo, sexually abused him numerous times at his childhood home in Phoenix, Maryland, over the course of six months in 1992.
Ransone made the accusation public by posting a lengthy note on Instagram that he sent to his alleged sexual abuser.
Ransone said he was “ready to confront” his past and reported the allegations to Baltimore County police in March 2020, but was later told by a detective that prosecutors had no interest in pursuing the matter further, according to his email.
The alleged abuse led to a “lifetime of shame and embarrassment” for Ransone, who told Rualo his actions propelled him to become an alcoholic and a heroin addict.
In 2016, the “It: Chapter Two” actor opened up about his struggle with addiction.
“People think I got sober working on the ‘Generation Kill.’ I didn’t,” Ransone, who got sober at age 27 “after being on heroin for five years,” told Interview Magazine.
“I sobered up six or seven months before that. I remember going to Africa and I was going to be there for almost a year. I was number two on the call sheet and I was like, “I think somebody made a mistake. This is too much responsibility for me.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
