Sudden death at 46 James Ranson, who appeared hanged this weekend in his Los Angeles home, joins the saddest farewells the cinema world has suffered this year, and also adds to a list of tragic deaths which shook the distribution of The thread since the series became one of the most acclaimed titles of this quarter century.
The thread It lasted five seasons between 2002 and 2008; 17 years after its end, it continues to be praised and recovered for its raw social portrait of crime on the streets of Baltimore and the systemic causes of the inequality that fuels it. One of the main values of the series created by David Simon It is the authenticity of its characters, supported by a cast of performers very suited to their roles.
This connection between the actors and their characters, as well as the tragic situations in which some of their deaths occurred, hit many followers hard The thread with each of the obituaries they have had to read over the past few years. Below we recall the main ones.
James Ransone (Chester “Ziggy” Sobotka)
The actor of horror sagas like Sinister, that either Black phone joined The thread in the second season of the series playing the role of the little thief Ziggy, son of Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer). After becoming known in the series, he collaborated with Simon in his following works, such as Generation Kill And Soaked. His death at the age of 46, an apparent suicide after a history of addiction following childhood sexual abuse, left behind his wife and two children.
Lance Reddick (Cedric Daniels)
An actor with an unrivaled presence and voice, he was an old acquaintance of fans of OZ And Lost before joining the universe The wick like him Narcotics Unit Lieutenant, Cedric Daniels, which he played for 60 episodes. His later television career (Fringe) like on the big screen (John Wick) It was discontinued in 2023, when he was 60 years old, due to myocardial ischemia resulting from atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
Michael K. Williams (Omar Little)
One of the most beloved actors in the entire series, the face of the formidable dealer thief Omar Little, After the series, he had a promising career ahead of him, in 2021 he was found dead in his apartment in Brooklyn (New York). He was 54 years old; The autopsy revealed an overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin, which reignited the social debate on opioids in the United States and led to the arrest of four people for their possible connection to the death.
In addition…
James Ransone, Lance Reddick And Michael K. Williams They may have suffered the most shocking deaths, but they’re not the only members of the big cast of The thread who we had to say goodbye to since the end of the series because of different diseases.
Robert Hogan (Louis Sobotka) He was a jack-of-all-trades sidekick with over a hundred titles in his filmography. He died at age 87 from pneumonia in 2021.
Reg E. Cathey (Norman Wilson), another purebred supporting actor, he won the Emmy for his role in House of cards. He died in 2018 at age 59 from lung cancer.
Melvin Williams (deacon). Before becoming an actor, the compassionate clergyman who helps Baltimore’s repentant criminals was one of those traffickers himself. In fact, one of the most famous dramatic arcs of The thread, the drug lord Avon Barksdale is inspired by its own transformation. Williams died of cancer in 2015, aged 73.
Robert F. Chew (Proposal Joe), Another regular actor in Simon’s troupe died in 2013 of heart failure at the age of 52.
About The Author
