‘The Wire’ actor James Ransone suicide death confirmed at age 46

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The official cause of death for James Ransone, who was best known for his role as Ziggy Sobotka in HBO’s “The Wire,” has been confirmed. 

The actor died by suicide, according to a death certificate obtained by People magazine.  

Ransone died by hanging on Dec. 19 in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner and previously confirmed by Fox News Digital.

‘THE WIRE’ STAR JAMES RANSONE DEAD AT 46

Shortly after his death, Ransone’s wife Jamie took to social media to honor her late husband and father of their two children. 

“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”

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“I can’t say enough about what a wonderful actor and friend he was – brilliant, smart, passionate, kind, insightful….. I have no words,” actor Ethan Hawke commented on a separate post of Jamie’s. 

A GoFundMe was created in an effort to support Ransone’s young widow and her children. 

“James, who his friends called PJ, was funny, magnetic, brilliant, and endlessly alive,” the page reads. “Above all else, he was an extraordinary father. His wife, Jamie, known by her friends as Skipper, and their children, Jack and Violet, were the center of his world. They loved him infinitely, and he loved them just as fiercely in return. Their bond was deep, joyful, and unmistakable to anyone who witnessed it.”

“This fund has been created to support Jamie and the children as they 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.”

In 2016, Ransone 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.”

In 2021, according to Page Six, Ransone posted a lengthy email to his Instagram, claiming he was the victim of sexual abuse as a child. (The alleged post has since been taken down.)

Ransone accused his former tutor, Timothy Rualo, of allegedly sexually abusing him numerous times over the course of six months in 1992.

A representative for Ransone did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time. 

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Ransone also had roles in TV shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “Generation Kill,” “Treme,” as well as the film, “It: Chapter 2.” His final TV appearance was in a Season 2 episode of “Poker Face,” which aired in June.