Over the years, The Wire has earned its place as one of the most influential TV shows ever made – praised for its realism, empathy, and unflinching portrayal of American institutions.

Yet for many fans, revisiting the HBO crime drama has become increasingly bittersweet, as several key stars from the noughties series have since passed away.

The tragic suicide of actor James Ransone at the age of 46 last week marked the seventh death of a cast member from the iconic show.

Ransone’s shock passing followed the deaths of his co-stars Lance Reddick, Michael K. Williams, Reg E. Cathey, and Robert F. Chew, all younger than 60 years old.

The man whose life inspired the show, reformed drug kingpin Melvin Williams, also died at the age of 73 just a few years after the series stopped airing.

Charley Scalies, who played Horseface Pakusa in season two of the show, became the latest star to pass away before Ransone in May this year at the age of 84.

Best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka, father-of-two Ransone died by suicide in a shed in Los Angeles on Friday, his heartbroken family and friends confirmed.

His widow, Jamie McPhee, led the tributes to the beloved actor with a gut-wrenching Instagram post showing an image of him cradling her baby bump.

Actor Wendell Pierce, who starred in The Wire, also addressed Ransone’s death on X, writing: ‘Sorry I couldn’t be there for you, brother. Rest in Peace James Ransone.’

Director Andy Muschietti, who worked with Ransone on It Chapter Two, took to Instagram to share two separate tribute posts, saying he felt ‘lucky’ to have met the actor, and thanked him for ‘touching our lives’.

Ransone opened up in 2021 about being sexually abused by his math tutor in 1992, and that this trauma sparked alcohol and heroin addictions later in life.

He also spoke candidly about addiction and recovery, revealing in a 2016 Interview Magazine profile that he got sober at age 27 after years of heroin use.

‘People think I got sober working on the ‘Generation Kill.’ I didn’t,’ he said at the time.

Lance Reddick, died aged 60

Ransone’s death came after another key star of The Wire, Lance Reddick, who played Cedric Daniels, died at the age of 60 on March 17, 2023.

His death sparked a wave of controversy after TMZ reported that he died of ischemic heart disease – but his family said this was inconsistent with his lifestyle and claimed he passed due to natural causes.

Michael K. Williams, died aged 54

Less than two years earlier, in September 2021, Michael K. Williams, who played the central character in The Wire, Omar Little, was found dead of a suspected overdose.

The 54-year-old was discovered unconscious and face-down in the living room of his Williamsburg apartment by his nephew, Dominic Dupont, after taking heroin.

A doorman subsequently called 911 claiming Williams was ‘unresponsive’ and ‘felt cold’. Medics rushed to the scene, but declared the actor dead at 2:12pm.

Dupont opened up about the tragedy the following year while speaking with Jada Pinkett Smith on an episode of Red Table Talk about deadly opiate fentanyl.

He revealed that Williams, who had battled addiction in the past, seemed as though he was ‘doing well’ in the months before he died.

‘I think a lot of what happened — what I saw on September 6 — I’m still processing,’ Dupont said.

‘Michael was an amazing human being.’

He said when he found Williams, he knew immediately that he had died, surrounded by drug paraphernalia.