Actor James Ransone, best known for his role as Ziggy Sobotka on The Wire and other HBO shows, was officially ruled to have died by suicide, according to his December 29 death certificate obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday (January 7).

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had initially ruled Ransone's death as an apparent suicide when he was "hanging" in a "shed" and his body is ready for release. The Baltimore native played Ziggy, a dock worker and the son of Frank Sobotka, played by Chris Bauer, in the second season of The Wire, appearing in 12 total episodes in 2003.

Ransone also had roles in the television shows Generation Kill, Treme and Bosch, while his final television role came in a Season 2 episode of Poker Face airing earlier this year. The actor was also credited for roles in the films Prom Night (2008), Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Tangerine (2015), Mr. Right (2015), It Chapter Two (2019), The Black Phone (2021) and Black Phone 2 (2025).

Ransone came forward as a sexual abuse survivor in 2021, revealing that his former tutor, Timothy Rualo, abused him numerous times at his childhood home during a span of six months in 1992, which included sharing a lengthy note allegedly sent by Rualo in a since-deleted Instagram post.

“We did very little math,” Ransone said. “The strongest memory I have of the abuse was washing blood and feces out of my sheets after you left. I remember doing this as a 12 year old because I was too ashamed to tell anyone.”

Ransone said the abuse resulted in a "lifetime of shame and embarrassment," which propelled him to alcoholism and becoming a heroin addict before getting sober in 2006, at which point he said he was "ready to confront" his past and later reported the accusations to Baltimore County police in March 2020.

Ransone was told by a detective that prosecutors “had no interest in pursuing the matter any further" and the Baltimore County State's Attorney Office ultimately didn't bring charges following an investigation. A GoFundMe has been launched to support Ransone's family following his death.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

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