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James Ransone, the American actor renowned for his role as Ziggy Sobotka in HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire, has died at the age of 46.
As reported by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ransone passed away on Friday in Los Angeles. Authorities have classified the cause of death as suicide, but no additional details have been disclosed. He is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children. In the wake of his passing, McPhee has initiated a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on her social media platforms, according to the Daily Mail.
Ransone gained recognition for his portrayal of Ziggy Sobotka, a troubled dock worker and the son of union leader Frank Sobotka, in the second season of The Wire, which aired in 2003. He appeared in 12 episodes of the series, which ran from 2002 to 2008 and is regarded as one of the greatest television dramas of all time, boasting an ensemble cast that included Dominic West, Michael Kenneth Williams, Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, and Wood Harris.
In addition to The Wire, Ransone became a familiar face across various HBO productions, with appearances in Generation Kill and Treme. His television career also included roles in Bosch, and he was most recently seen earlier this year in Poker Face.
On the big screen, Ransone’s career spanned a diverse array of genres, with credits including Prom Night, Sinister, Tangerine, IT Chapter Two, The Black Phone, and the forthcoming Black Phone 2. In recent years, Ransone had been open about his personal struggles. In 2021, he publicly shared that he was a survivor of sexual abuse and spoke candidly about addiction and recovery, revealing in a 2016 interview that he became sober at age 27 after years of heroin use.
Ransone’s untimely death has prompted an outpouring of grief from fans and colleagues alike, who have followed his career from gritty television roles to indie and mainstream films.
