The Wire i This: Chapter Twoor Actor James Ransone’s cause of death has been confirmed.
Ransone committed suicide, according to a Dec. 29 death certificate seen by Us Weekly on Wednesday, January 7.
The The actor died on December 19 at the age of 46. Records viewed by we at the time he confirmed that The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled the death an apparent suicide.
Ransone is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and two children, Jack and Violet.
The Wire and It: Chapter Two actor James Ransone has died. He was 46 years old. Ransone died Friday, Dec. 19, by suicide, according to Los Angeles County medical examiner records obtained by Us Weekly. Ransone is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children. While Ransone kept his domestic life private, he (…)
McPhee, who married Ransone in September 2017, did Instagram two days after her husband’s death to thank him for giving her the “greatest gifts” of her children in a sense of tribute. “I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I’ll love you again,” she wrote. “You told me: I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me, and you were so right.”
The couple recently celebrated their daughter’s 4th birthday in May 2025.
“I’m so happy that you and Jack and especially dad are making me a mom,” McPhee wrote on Instagram at the time. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you, even when you pull out a purse, a rainbow narwhal, and a pink wheelie bag to go to the store and then say wait, mom, I need my sunglasses. You’re perfect. Don’t ever change.”
A GoFundMe The page was created for Ransone’s family in the wake of his death, and has since raised nearly $300,000.
“On Friday, December 19th, we lost James Ransone, beloved husband, father and friend,” the page’s description reads. “James, who his friends called PJ, was funny, magnetic, bright and endlessly alive. Above all, he was an extraordinary father.”
The description continues: “His wife, Jamie, known to his friends as Skipper, and his children, Jack and Violet, were the center of his world. They loved him infinitely, and he loved them just as much in return. Their bond was deep, joyous and unmistakable to anyone who witnessed it.”
“This fund has been set up to support Jamie and the children as they navigate life after an unimaginable loss,” she adds. “Its purpose is simple: to give Jamie the space to fully focus on Jack and Violet, to care for them, to protect their sense of security and to ensure that they have a bright future, even without the light of James present in their everyday lives.”
He concludes: “If you feel moved and can contribute, your support will go directly to helping this family move forward with stability, care and love. Thank you for taking Jamie, Jack and Violet. locked in your hearts. Your generosity, kindness and remembrance of James mean more than words can ever express.”
Ransone, who was known for his work The Wire, It: Chapter Two i Generation Kill, was open about being a victim of abuse and develop an addiction to heroin earlier in life, sharing that he was $30,000 in debt at age 27.
In a 2009 article by Malibu MagazineRansone wrote a first-person account of hitting rock bottom before getting sober after meeting his wife.
“I weighed 115 pounds, was about 30 grand in debt, and had developed a pretty healthy heroin habit,” he wrote. “There was a lot going on inside me that I hadn’t faced, or at least refused to acknowledge for a long time. There were a lot of hard corners in me that needed to be softened. I had no idea what the results would be of taking some responsibility for my past, but the result has been pretty remarkable.”