US actor James Ransone, best known for appearing in US drama The Wire, has died aged 46.

Ransone played Ziggy, the clumsy and chaotic petty criminal in the second season of the crime drama, which is one of the most acclaimed TV series of all time.

The Los Angeles Medical Examiner said on its website that Ransone died by suicide on Friday.

Ransone also appeared in the 2008 miniseries Generation Kill and 2019's It Chapter Two, adapted from Stephen King's novel.

The Wire star Wendell Pierce led the tributes to the actor on social media, writing: "Sorry I couldn't be there for you , brother. Rest in Peace James Ransone."

Director Spike Lee, who worked with Ransone on Red Hook Summer and Inside Man, posted on Instagram: "Rest In Peace to my dear brother James Ransone."

Ransone's wife Jamie McPhee, with whom he shares two children, wrote on social media: "I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again... Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts – you, Jack and Violet. We are forever."

McPhee also shared a link on her Instagram story to a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Set in Baltimore, the early seasons of The Wire focused on the world of drug crime, and was told from the perspectives of both the criminals and the police trying to catch them.

Ziggy, the nickname of Chester Sabotka, appeared in 12 episodes as the troubled son of Frank Sabotka, a manager and union leader at the city's docks at a time when the local shipping industry is in decline.

Ransone's character was also the cousin of Nick Sabotka, Frank's nephew, who becomes increasingly involved with the criminals who want to smuggle contraband through the docks.

The Wire was created by David Simon, who went on to write another series starring Ransone, Generation Kill, about the 2003 Iraq War, which also starred Alexander Skarsgård.

Ransone also appeared in Prom Night, The Black Phone, Law & Order and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In 2021, Ransone alleged that he was sexually abused for around six months in 1992 by a former tutor.

He told his followers on social media that the abuse was a factor in alcohol and heroin addictions that he struggled with later.

HBO, which broadcast The Wire in the US, posted a picture of Ransone as Ziggy. on X, with the caption: "In Loving Memory."

Oscar-winning Anora director Sean Baker, who worked with Ransone on 2012's Starlet and 2015's Tangerine, wrote on Instagram: "I'll miss you dearly my friend."

Madeleine McGraw, who starred with Ransone in The Black Phone and its sequel, remembered Ransone as "such a beautiful soul" and "so genuinely supportive".

"I'm struggling to put into words the profound emptiness I'm feeling since learning of James Ransone's passing," she wrote on her Instagram story. "My heart is absolutely shattered."

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