Actor James Ransone, known for his roles in The Wire series, It: Chapter Two and Black Phone, died at the age of 46. Upon investigation by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, his cause of death was found to be suicide.
Condolences from across actors and studios have been pouring in for the star. His fellow actor François Arnaud wrote on his Instagram page that he was a "unique actor" whom he was continuously impressed and inspired by.
Born in 1979 in Baltimore, Ransone had acquired his first on-screen credit in The American Astronaut (2001). However, his breakout role came in the critically acclaimed HBO crime drama The Wire (2003), where he portrayed Chester “Ziggy” Sobotka in the show’s second season. Later, he starred in director Sean Baker's breakout film Tangerine in 2015. The actor went on to play Eddie Kaspbrak in It: Chapter Two (2019) and portrayed Max in both the installments of The Black Phone, released in 2021 and 2025 respectively.
He played a range of roles in films of varied genres from war dramas, action, supernatural, thrillers and horrors. He played an intense role in Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill (2008). Besides It and The Black Phone movies, he was also part of acclaimed horror film Sinister (2012) and its sequel Sinister 2 (2015).
His other acting credits include other acting credits were Poker Face, SEAL Team, Deadwax, The First, Mosaic, It Happened In L.A., Bosch, Sinister 2, Oldboy, Low Winter Sun, Empire State, Treme, How to Make It in America, Hawaii Five-0, Generation Kill, Law & Order, Nola and Third Watch.
The actor had been dealing with personal struggles during his later years and was open about them on media. He had battled addiction and also dealt with trauma. Ransone later recovered and spoke about them in many interviews.
He is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their child.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm)
