James Ransone, the actor who played a reckless drug dealer on the hit HBO series “The Wire” and later appeared in the horror films “Sinister” and “It: Chapter 2,” died in Los Angeles on Friday. He was 46 years old.
According to the LA County medical examiner’s office, Ransone died by suicide.
A native of Maryland, Ransone studied theater at the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in the Baltimore County community of Towson, before breaking into television a few years later.
Ransone has appeared in several popular horror films. He played Max in “The Black Phone,” a movie about a young man who is kidnapped by a serial killer. The film was based on a short story written by Joe Hill – Stephen King’s son – and starred Ethan Hawke. Ransone reprized his role in the sequel, “Black Phone II.”
Ransone appeared in another horror film with Hawke, taking on the role of Deputy in “Sinister.” The film focuses on a writer who finds snuff films in his new house. Ransone also starred alongside Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain and Bill Skarsgård in the sequel to “It: Chapter Two,” playing Eddie Kaspbrak, one of several characters victimized by the serial killer Pennywise.
While promoting the film, he defended the horror genre from those who consider it a “throwaway” category.
“To those people I would say, ‘Tell that to William Friedkin or Stanley Kubrick,'” Ransone said in an interview with Anthem Magazine.
He also had roles in the shows “Generation Kill,” “Treme” and “Bosch.” His last television appearance came in a second-season episode of Peacock’s comedy show “Poker Face,” which aired in June.
But he’ll probably be best remembered for his turn as Ziggy Sobotka on “The Wire,” a dark and uncompromising drama — hailed as one of the best TV shows of all time — that explores the various aspects of Baltimore and its institutions. Ransone appeared in all 12 episodes of the show’s second season, which focused on vandalizing the city’s docks.
He played the son of a cabal union leader, whose scheming tricks got him into trouble with other low-level criminals – but also endeared him to some viewers. In one notable article, he bought a duck, which he encircled with a diamond necklace; The bird later died because it had been fed too much alcohol.
The critically acclaimed HBO series aired from 2002 to 2008 and starred Dominic West, Michael Kenneth Williams, John Doman, Idris Elba, Wood Harris, Lance Reddick, Wendell Pierce, Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. and others.
In a statement released to the Baltimore Banner news website, “Wire” creator David Simon called Ransone’s death “horrific and tragic.”
“He committed himself not only to the work but also to the relationships that turn every good film production into a family and caring affair,” said Simon, who also played Ransone in “Generation Kill” and “Treme,” in a statement.
In an interview with MSNBC after the release of “Sinister 2,” Ransone said he was proud of his work on “The Wire” but called it a “double-edged sword” in that people would forever label him as Ziggy. He described himself as a horror film fan and talked about how working with filmmakers like Simon, Sean Baker and Spike Lee opened his eyes to many social inequalities.
It is unclear if Ransone was living in LA at the time of his death. A man whose name is listed on the California secretary of state’s website as living in the Fairfax area.
LAPD spokeswoman, Norma Eisenman, said that around 2:00 on Friday, a police team responded to a 911 call about an unknown death in the area. Inside, he said, the police found a man who appeared to have committed suicide.
Because foul play is not suspected, the case is being handled by the medical examiner’s office, Eisenman said, adding that he would not confirm that the man was Ransone or provide other details about the 911 call.
TMZ reported that Ransone is a married father of two, and wife Jamie McPhee posted a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness on his social media page.
In recent years, Ransone has come out as a victim of sexual abuse and has also spoken openly about his addiction problems.
In 2016, he told Interview Magazine that he became an alcoholic at the age of 27 “after using heroin for five years.”
“People think I was sober working on ‘Generation Kill.’ I didn’t. “I fainted six or seven months before that,” he told the publication. “I remember going to Africa and I was going to be there for about a year. I was second on the call sheet and I was like, ‘I think someone made a mistake. This is a huge responsibility for me.’
Ransone in 2021 disclosed that he had been sexually abused by a former teacher at his childhood home in Phoenix, Md. over a six-month period in 1992, according to the Baltimore Banner. He disclosed these allegations on the social networking site Instagram, where he had written a long letter saying that he had been sent to his abuser, the Banner reported. Later, a police investigation was started into these allegations, but it was closed without any charges being filed.
Suicide prevention services and crisis counseling
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek professional help and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first three-number national mental health hotline 988 will connect callers with qualified mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the US and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
