James Ransone's wife, Jamie McPhee, has broken her silence following the death of her husband on December 19. He was 46.
In an emotional post on Instagram, Jamie, who shares son Jack, six, and daughter Violet, four, with the late actor, shared a sweet photo of James with his hand on her baby bump.
"I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again," she penned.
"You told me... I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me - and you were so right. Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts - you, Jack and Violet. We are forever."
According to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, James died by suicide.
Career
Baltimore-born James' big break came in 2003 when he played dock worker and the son of a union leader, Ziggy Sobotka, in 12 episodes of The Wire’s second season.
He also starred in It: Chapter 2, Sinister, Sinister 2, The Black Phone, and its 2025 sequel, which was his final project. His final television appearance was in June in a season two episode of Poker Face.
He scored his first on-screen role in 2001's The American Astronaut, after discovering a love of acting and graduating from New York's The School of the Visual Arts.
"I did not fit in well with all of the kids. Adolescence was a really hard time for me – as I think it is for most kids," he told Interview magazine in 2016.
"It's so uncomfortable. With normal public schools, I used to have a really hard time with them. Then my mom found this school. She was like, 'Hey, they're opening this arts school. You can go. You have to audition.'
"I think it saved me as a kid. Going to arts school saved me," he added.
James was open about his battle with substance abuse after being sexually assaulted as a child, and shared that he got sober in the late '00s.
"People think I got sober working on the [TV show] Generation Kill. I didn't," he explained.
"I sobered up six or seven months before that. I remember going to Africa and I was going to be there for almost a year. I was number two on the call sheet, and I was like, 'I think somebody made a mistake. This is too much responsibility for me.'"
He added that being on the 2008 show was a highlight in his life. "Living in Africa, being around the dudes who were being written about – since my dad is a Vietnam vet.
"Being around these Marines who had fought in war, and they were young, I got to see some version of my dad as a young man. A lot of things started to make sense to me in a different way."
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.