Tributes pour in for James Ransone, 'The Wire' actor who died at 46
- - Tributes pour in for James Ransone, 'The Wire' actor who died at 46
Dylan StablefordDecember 22, 2025 at 11:41 PM
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James Ransone, an actor best known for his role as Ziggy Sobotka in the HBO series The Wire, died on Friday. He was 46.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office, the manner of death was suicide.
Born on June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, Ransone studied at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Maryland and briefly at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He failed out of SVA after his freshman year.
According to a biography on his personal website, Ransone spent the early 2000s working for nightlife photographer Patrick McMullan “while splitting his time playing in various punk bands throughout New York City.”
Ransone’s first onscreen credit came in 2001‘s The American Astronaut, according to his IMDB page, He went on to appear in dozens of television shows and movies, including Generation Kill, Bosch, Poker Face, Treme, Tangerine, Sinister, Sinister 2, The Black Phone and Black Phone 2.
But it was his breakout performance in Season 2 of The Wire, a crime drama set in Baltimore, that brought him the most acclaim.
Fellow actors and directors pay tribute
James Ransone in HBO's "The Wire."
Wendell Pierce, who starred alongside Ransone in The Wire and Treme, reacted to his death in a post on X.
“Sorry I couldn’t be there for you, brother,” Pierce wrote. “Rest in Peace.”
Andre Royo, who also starred on The Wire, paid tribute to Ransone on X.
“My fellow artist and Wire brother,” Royo wrote. “Whatever pain you were in, you're free of it now! I am sending my condolences to your family. I will keep you in my heart and share our gift of creativity ... in your honor.”
Director Spike Lee posted a photo of himself and Ransone on Instagram.
“Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE,” Lee wrote. “We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN.”
Director Sean Baker also posted a photo of himself and Ransone on Instagram.
“I’ll miss you dearly my friend,” Baker wrote.
‘We are forever’
James Ransone and Sam Richardson in an episode of "Poker Face." (Sarah Shatz/Peacock via Getty Images) (Peacock via Getty Images)
Jamie McPhee, Ransone’s widow and the mother of their two children, shared a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram Sunday night.
“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again,” she wrote. “You told me — I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me — and you were so right. Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts — you, Jack and Violet. We are forever.”
In 2021, Ransone revealed that he had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a former tutor when he was 12. He said that he had endured a “lifetime of shame and embarrassment” from the abuse, which contributed to struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
Per his bio, Ransone “nearly destroyed his life with heroin, but got clean in 2006.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
