The American actor James Ransone, best known for his performance as the drug dealer Chester 'Ziggy' Sobotka in the American crime drama The Wire, has died aged 46.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, Ransone died by suicide.
A character actor who often played men with troubled pasts, Ransone was born in Baltimore, Maryland - the primary setting for The Wire, which followed police officers and the drug dealers they investigated during the early 2000s.
In loving memory of James Ransone. pic.twitter.com/7CKjnAnrCD
— HBO (@HBO) December 21, 2025
He played a dock worker-turned-dealer in 12 episodes of the award-winning HBO show's second season, which first aired in 2003.
Ransone also worked with The Wire creator David Simon on the Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill.
In addition to his work in television, Ransone starred in several Hollywood films, including the horror movies It: Chapter Two and The Black Phone.
His last on-screen appearances this year were in the television show Poker Face and the film Black Phone 2.
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Source: AFP
