Beloved Producer Spike Lee Shares Heartbreak over Tragic Passing of ‘Dear Brother’

James Ransone died on Friday, December 19. His cause of death was reported as suicide, the New York Post reports. He was 46. 

Ransone is survived by his wife, Jamie McPhee, and their two children, but many others he touched through his work or who knew him personally are also grieving. Among those who led the tributes for the late actor was beloved filmmaker and actor Spike Lee.

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Spike Lee Pays Tribute to James Ransone 

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Lee posted a photo of himself and Ransone on Instagram. They are posing at an event, with Ransone’s arm around Lee, and they stare into the camera. In the caption, he shared his thoughts. “Rest In Peace To My Dear Brother, MR. JAMES RANSONE,” Lee wrote. “We Rocked Together On RED HOOK SUMMER And INSIDE MAN.” 

“Red Hook Summer” is a 2012 drama film, and “Inside Man” is a 2006 crime thriller starring Denzel Washington. Lee turned off his comments, but the post has been liked over 20,000 times in a few hours by fans and celebrities who have shown their support after Ransone’s tragic passing. 

Some of Ransone’s memorable roles include work in “The Wire,” “Generation Kill,” “Treme,” “Bosch,” and “It Chapter Two.” In the latter film, he bonded with co-star Bill Hader. In a 2019 interview with Anthem magazine, the actor revealed that their close bond stemmed from their humor and the “darkest parts” of their personalities. 

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James Ransone’s Friendship with Bill Hader 

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Ransone was asked about Hader, with the interviewer noting that they appeared to have a “special bond.” Did they know each other before starring in the film “It: Chapter Two?” Ransone played Eddie Kaspbrak, and Hader played Richie Tozier. The late actor shared that they had met at an audition for the 2009 film, “Public Enemies,” starring Johnny Depp, before noting their similarities. 

“I think Bill and I share really similar sensibilities about what we think is funny, what music we like,” he said. “On top of that, I think we had very similar backgrounds growing up, too. It’s very much the same with Isaiah Mustafa, too. I think that really helped. My sense of humor falls very much into ‘South Park.’  I just think that (expletive) so funny—anything super irreverent that’s going to make everybody else super (expletive) off. And the more absurd it gets, the better. It just makes me so happy.”

He continued, “The other thing is that, when I saw Hader in Toronto, we sat down and we immediately started talking about the darkest parts of our personalities. Usually, the funniest people have the most (expletive) up backgrounds.”

Ransone had discussed some of his struggles and his background in interviews. He approached challenging topics with honesty and authenticity, and he overcame many obstacles and challenges, including abuse and addiction.

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