American actor James Ransone, best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka in The Wire, has died aged 46.
As ruled by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, the TV star died in an apparent suicide on Friday.
An investigation was carried out after police were called to his residence, but no foul play is suspected.
Ransone’s death was then confirmed this Sunday publicly by TMZ.
The Baltimore-born actor was married to Jamie McPhee and is survived by two children, as per the New York Post.
Wife McPhee has since added a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to her social media profile.
Ransone got his big career break co-starring in teen drama Ken Park in 2002.
Shortly after, he landed a part in HBO drama series The Wire, undoubtedly his most memorable TV role, which earned him critical acclaim.
In 2003, he appeared in 12 episodes as Baltimore dock worker Ziggy, who was also involved in criminal activity.
His other well-known TV roles were those of Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the 2008 miniseries Generation Kill, and, in 2010, he landed a recurring role in comedy series How to Make It in America.
Ransone’s TV résumé also includes 10 episodes of HBO drama series Treme (2011), in which he played Nick, and Damon Callis in AMC’s Low Winter Sun in 2013.
Additionally, he had appearances in Law & Order, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Third Watch, and, most recently, Poker Face.
Ransone made his movie debut with a supporting role in Spike Lee’s 2006 heist movie Inside Man, playing bank robber Steve-O.
He continued to enjoy a lengthy career on the silver screen, which included playing Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two (2019), the sequel to Stephen King’s 2017 horror adaptation.
In 2021, he played Max in the supernatural horror flick The Black Phone, a role he would reprise for a cameo appearance in the 2025 sequel, which became his final film role.
With regard to his personal life, Ransone was open about his personal struggles.
In 2021, he wrote on Instagram that he had been sexually abused by his maths tutor growing up in Maryland in 1992.
At the time, he said the abuse led to ‘a lifetime of shame and embarrassment,’ and, by age 27, Ransone had developed an addiction to heroin and $30,000 (£23k) of debt.
He became sober in 2007 and, in March 2020, reported his childhood abuse to the police. However, it is alleged that he was told by prosecutors that no investigation would take place.
Ransone went on to receive high praise following this, as he stepped in to save a woman from being sexually assaulted outside his New York apartment.
Having grabbed a metal bar upon hearing screams, he ran towards the attacker.
‘I did what anybody would have done,’ he said after the confrontation.
‘I pictured my mum, my girlfriend and every girl I’ve ever loved and thought, “Vengeance is mine”.’
Following confirmation of Ransone’s death, fans have paid tribute to his work, with @kaiyashunyata on X declaring him ‘a magnetic force of nature on and off screen’, adding that, by speaking about his own abuse, Ransone ‘fundamentally changed’ how they processed their own trauma.
‘i feel really rattled by the james ransone news in a way i’m not sure i can explain’, wrote @riverindaIe.
‘Rest in peace James Ransone, you were an absolute horror legend and delivered so many great characters’, penned @JEST0Z.
‘I miss him so much already’, added @crinja404.
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