The Wire star James Ransone has passed away at the age of 46.

According to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner, the actor - best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka, the Baltimore dock worker and son of union leader Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer) in the second series of the HBO crime drama - died by suicide on Friday (19.12.25).

The place of death was recorded as a shed, and the medical examiner's office noted that James' body is ready for release.

He is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children.

Tributes from fans have been pouring in since the news of James' death broke on Sunday (21.12.25).

One user said on X: "Wow. This really f****** sucks. Rest in peace James Ransone, you were an absolute horror legend and delivered so many great characters."

A second person penned on the same social media platform - referencing his role of Eddie Kaspbrak in 2019's It Chapter Two: "Rest in Peace James Ransone.

"You portrayed Eddie Kaspbrak so well. A character so loved and important in my childhood. You will always be EDDIE. Rest in eternal peace. (sic)"

A third fan wrote on X: "I can't believe this. To think he nailed and aced all of his acting roles, when in reality, he was facing demons and pain. My sincere condolences to his family."

And a fourth supporter shared on the social media platform: "James Ransone was a magnetic force of nature on and off screen.

"The way he openly spoke about his addiction and sexual abuse fundamentally changed the way I processed my own f***** up life, and he's the sole reason I decided to get sober a few years ago. I'm f****** crushed."

In 2021, James - who appeared in 12 episodes during The Wire's 2003 run - publicly shared that he was a survivor of sexual abuse.

And in 2016, the star, who also appeared in the HBO war miniseries Generation Kill, revealed that he got sober at the age of 27 after years of heroin use.

James told Interview magazine: "People think I got sober working on the Generation Kill. I didn't. I sobered up six or seven months before that.

"I remember going to Africa, and I was going to be there for almost a year. I was number two on the call sheet, and I was like, 'I think somebody made a mistake. This is too much responsibility for me.'"

James was born on June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Joyce (née Peterson) and James Ransone II - who was a Vietnam War veteran.

He studied at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland, before he studied film at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York, for one year.

He also told Interview magazine in 2016 that he "failed out" of film school because he "didn't show up to class".

Instead, he "kicked around for a couple of years" and went on to work for photographerPatrick McMullan, who used to shoot the back covers of the magazine.

James attended parties - his first being 74-year-old painter-and-filmmaker Julian Schnabel's art show, where the late music icon David Bowie, 69, was also in attendance - and would take photos under Patrick's name.

As well as The Wire and Generation Kill, James starred in HBO drama Treme, and also had a role on Amazon Prime Video's police procedural series, Bosch.

He also appeared on the big screen in genres such as horror and indie drama. Roles included Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Mr. Right (2015), The Black Phone (2021) and the upcoming Black Phone 2 (2025).

James' final TV appearance came in June, when he starred in a season two episode of the Peacock comedy-drama series, Poker Face.