‘The Wire’ Actor James Ransone Remembered After His Death at 46

James Ransone, an actor known for his breakout performances on The Wire and Generation Kill, has died. He was 46.

Ransone was found dead in Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 19, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. His cause of death was listed as suicide by “hanging,” and his body was found in a shed, according to the medical examiner’s website.

The actor portrayed a string of quirky characters on screen. He played Baltimore dock worker “Ziggy,” on season 2 of The Wire. As the son of union leader Frank Sobotka on the HBO drama, Ziggy desperately wanted respect, but he couldn’t keep a job and was dismissed for his drunken antics.

Ransone also had roles in the acclaimed TV shows Poker Face, Treme, Bosch, and the Iraq-war miniseries Generation Kill.

On film, he had parts in Inside Man (2006) Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Red Hook Summer (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), Mr. Right (2015), It Chapter Two (2019), The Black Phone (2021), and Black Phone 2 (2025).

Ransone was born in Baltimore on June 2, 1979. He studied at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland, and the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan

Following news of his death, Spike Lee, who directed the actor in Red Hook Summer, remembered him on Instagram.

“Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE. We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN,” Lee posted on Sunday.

The Wire star Wendell Pierce wrote on X, “Sorry I couldn’t be there for you , brother. Rest in Peace James Ransone.”

HBO shared a tribute on Instagram. The network included a picture of the actor on The Wire along with the caption: “In loving memory of James Ransone.”

Ransone is survived by his wife Jamie McPhee and two children.

Jamie posted a picture of herself with Ransone on Instagram and included the caption, “I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again. 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.”