James Ransone’s death has hit fans of The Wire and modern horror like a gut punch, and the details coming out make the loss feel even heavier. The actor, best known as chaotic dockworker Ziggy Sobotka and grown‑up Eddie Kaspbrak in It: Chapter Two, died by suicide in Los Angeles at just 46.
James Ransone: The Wire actor’s unexpected death
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Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records list James Ransone’s manner of death as suicide, with reports noting he died on Friday, December 19, 2025, in Los Angeles.
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Multiple outlets, including TMZ and CBS, report the cause as hanging, with no foul play suspected after police responded to a call and completed a standard death investigation.
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Ransone was 46 and reportedly a married father of two; his wife Jamie McPhee shared a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, underlining how central mental health awareness is to how his family wants him remembered.
James Ransone: who he was and what he was known for
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Born June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, Maryland, James Ransone studied theater at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson before moving into film and TV work in the early 2000s.
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On The Wire, he played James Ransone’s breakout role Ziggy Sobotka in season 2, the impulsive, insecure son of union boss Frank Sobotka whose bad decisions and temper make him one of the show’s most tragic figures.
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He was also widely recognized for horror: as the Deputy (later lead) in Sinister and Sinister 2, and as adult Eddie Kaspbrak in It: Chapter Two, where he starred alongside Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain and Bill Skarsgård.
Career beyond The Wire
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Beyond The Wire, James Ransone built a résumé full of cult‑favorite TV: he played Cpl. Josh Ray Person in HBO’s Generation Kill, appeared in Treme, had a recurring role on Bosch, and most recently turned up in a season 2 episode of Rian Johnson’s mystery series Poker Face.
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His film credits stretched from indie and genre fare like The American Astronaut and The Black Phone (and its 2025 sequel) to prestige horror like It: Chapter Two, giving him a reputation as a go‑to character actor with offbeat intensity.
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In interviews, he was outspoken about defending horror as a serious genre, once telling Anthem Magazine that people who dismiss it as “throwaway” should “tell that to William Friedkin or Stanley Kubrick,” a line now being widely shared in tributes.
Candid about struggles and loved by collaborators
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In recent years, James Ransone spoke openly about surviving sexual abuse and battling addiction, saying in a 2016 Interview Magazine conversation that he got sober at 27 after being on heroin for about five years.
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Colleagues have emphasized how much he brought to sets off camera: The Wire creator David Simon called his death “grievous and awful,” remembering him as someone who committed to both the work and the camaraderie that makes a production feel like family.
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As news of James Ransone’s death spreads, fans are revisiting Ziggy Sobotka’s breakdowns, Eddie’s jittery bravery, and his other roles, turning social media into a kind of rolling wake for a performer whose work always felt a little too raw to fake.
