News broke on Sunday, December 21 that actor James Ransone has passed away at 46. Ransone was best known for playing Eddie Kaspbrak in the horror film “It: Chapter Two,” and Ziggy Sabotka in HBO’s crime drama “The Wire.”
Along with his adoring fans, he leaves behind his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children.
GettyTMZ reports they learned from the Los Angeles Medical Examiner that Ransone’s apparent cause of death was suicide. The outlet says they independently confirmed the actor’s death on Friday, and learned LAPD officers completed a death investigation. No foul play is suspected, per the report.
Ransone’s verified Instagram account did not have any posts up at the time of his death, but the late star had 135,000 followers. His profile picture was set to a snap of the sun breaking through the clouds in a blue sky with a palm tree.
James Ransone Previously Appeared Upbeat in Conan O’Brien Interview With ‘It: Chapter Two’ Castmates
In an interview from 2019, the actor smiled and looked relaxed as he shared a playful story about how the movie’s cast and crew handled filming challenging scenes by finding time to blow off steam. He said, “There was one night where we were filming scenes with a lot of strobe lights, and I think we were all sort of stressed by the end of the shoot. So me and Bill Hader and Isaiah, and Muschietti, we went out to the parking lot and we were kicking around a soccer ball.” He says Hader mischievously suggested to Muschietti, the film’s director, “It’ll be funny if you kick the ball at that office building up there where all those people are working.”
Ransone went on, “Muschietti just immediately kicks the ball as hard as he can at this office window. Bill Hader’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah! Do it, do it!’ And I was like, ‘Dude we’re gonna get in so much trouble. Like, I don’t wanna get sued. This is a lawsuit!'” Ransone said while Hader was “egging on” Muschietti, he swooped in to snatch the ball and kicked it onto the roof.
Hader chimed in to laughingly recall, “It was a full building of all windows. When the ball would hit, it was like that scene in ‘The Matrix.’ I was like ‘Whoooo, Andy! Keep doing it!'”
James Ransone’s Career & Accomplishments
Ransone was born in 1979 in Baltimore, MD, per his IMDb bio. For high school, he attended a magnet school for performing arts, the Carver Center for Arts and Technology. He nabbed his first film role with “The American Astronaut” in 2001.
His gained wider recognition the following year with his standout role as a volatile teenager in Larry Clark and Ed Lachman’s gritty indie picture “Ken Park.”
The next year, he made another huge leap by landing the role of Ziggy Sobotka in “The Wire” for a 12-episode arc. He continued to appear on TV, including in episode of “CSI,” “Law & Order,” and “Hawaii Five-0.”
In 2019, Ransone won the Fright Meter award for Best Ensemble Cast for “It: Chapter Two” along with his castmates.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach the toll-free Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week (dial 888-628-9454 for assistance in Spanish). You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor anytime by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
A good counselor would have helped him change his suicide promoting beliefs and move to life enhancing thoughts such as how to deal positively with personal problems.