Actor James Ransone, who played Ziggy in “The Wire” and held a host of other roles, has died. He was 46.
Ransone died Friday by hanging, an apparent suicide, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office ruled, noting his place of death as a “shed.”
The actor leaves behind his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children — Jack, 6, and Violet, 4. McPhee paid tribute Sunday in a poignant Instagram post.
“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before, and I know I will love you again,” McPhee wrote. “Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts — you, Jack and Violet. We are forever.”
The Baltimore native’s breakout role came during season 2 of “The Wire,” in which he portrayed Chester “Ziggy” Sobotka, a bumbling dock worker whose father heads the union. Over the course of 12 episodes, Ransone took Ziggy through a snafu-laden criminal career that culminated in the murder of his smuggling partner and his subsequent departure for jail.
Personally, Ransone overcame a heroin addiction in his 20s that he attributed partly to being molested by a math tutor when he was 12, he revealed in 2021. Though he reported the incident to Baltimore County police years later, the county’s State’s Attorney Office declined to prosecute, The Baltimore Sun reported at the time.
The actor worked steadily after his 2003 “Wire” stint, most notably as the elder Eddie Kaspbrak in “It: Chapter Two.” Other credits included “Sinister” and “Sinister 2,” as well as the HBO miniseries “Generation Kill,” “Treme” and “Bosch.” Ransone’s most recent credits included “Poker Face,” “The Black Phone” and its 2025 sequel, “Black Phone 2.”
Tributes poured in throughout Sunday from former co-stars and others Ransone had worked with, to HBO.
“Sorry I couldn’t be there for you, brother,” wrote Ransone’s “The Wire” costar Wendell Pierce on X.
“Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE,” wrote director Spike Lee on Instagram along with a series of blue heart and praying hands emojis. “We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN.”
With News Wire Services
