James Ransone, the actor best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka in The Wire, has died at the age of 46.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ransone died by suicide on Friday, December 19, in Los Angeles. His cause of death was listed as hanging, and his body has been released.
Ransone was a married father of two. His wife, Jamie McPhee, shared a fundraiser supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on her social media following his death.
He rose to prominence for his role as Ziggy Sobotka, the troubled son of dockworker Frank Sobotka, in the second season of HBO’s The Wire in 2003. Ransone appeared in 12 episodes of the series.
His television work also included roles in Generation Kill, Treme, and Bosch. His final TV appearance was in a season two episode of Poker Face that aired in June.
In film, Ransone appeared in Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), Mr. Right (2015), It Chapter Two (2019), The Black Phone (2021), and Black Phone 2 (2025).
In 2021, Ransone publicly revealed that he was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He accused a former tutor of repeatedly abusing him in 1992 when he was 12 years old. He said the trauma contributed to years of addiction, including alcoholism and heroin use, before he became sober in 2006.
Ransone reported the allegations to police in 2020, but prosecutors later declined to pursue charges.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and colleagues, many remembering his raw performances and openness about his struggles with trauma and recovery.
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