Actor James Ransone, widely recognized for his portrayal of Ziggy Sobotka in the acclaimed TV series The Wire, has died at the age of 46. Authorities confirmed that Ransone died by suicide in Los Angeles on Friday, December 19, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Ransone, a married father of two, had his wife Jamie McPhee launch a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on her social media profile following his death. Official records indicate that the cause of death was listed as hanging, and his body is ready for release.
The Baltimore-born actor appeared in 12 episodes of The Wire in 2003, portraying the son of Frank Sobotka, a dockworker played by Chris Bauer. He later starred in TV series including Generation Kill, Treme, Bosch, and made his final television appearance in Poker Face in June 2025.
Ransone also had a prolific film career, appearing in Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), Mr. Right (2015), It Chapter Two (2019), and The Black Phone (2021) as well as its 2025 sequel, Black Phone 2.
In 2021, Ransone publicly revealed he was a survivor of sexual abuse, alleging that his former tutor sexually abused him over six months in 1992. He shared the experience in a detailed Instagram post, describing its lasting impact on his life, including struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction.
Ransone reported the abuse to Baltimore County police in 2020, but prosecutors declined to pursue the case. He had been sober since 2006 and had spoken about confronting his past as part of his recovery journey.