Bobby J. Brown Dies: ‘The Wire’ Actor Was 62, Died in a Fire

Bobby J. Brown, who was best known for his portrayal of Baltimore cop Bobby Brown on HBO’s The Wire, has died after being caught in a barn fire in Maryland. He was 62.

Brown’s daughter told TMZ that her father died on Tuesday, February 24, from smoke inhalation after the barn he was in caught fire. According to the publication, the actor was inside the structure attempting to jump-start a vehicle when he began calling out for a fire extinguisher. Reports state that by the time his family reached the barn to try to put out the fire, the building was already engulfed in flames.

According to his daughter, his wife suffered severe burns trying to save him.

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to the outlet that Brown’s cause of death was determined to be diffuse thermal injuries and smoke inhalation resulting from a fire. The Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the incident an accident.

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Born Robert Joseph Brown in Washington, D.C., the actor began his career as an amateur boxer before discovering a passion for performance and shifting his focus to acting. That pivot would eventually lead him to one of television’s most acclaimed dramas.

Brown was best known for playing Western District patrolman Bob Brown on the HBO series The Wire, created by David Simon. He appeared in a dozen of the show’s 60 episodes across its five-season run.

Other than The Wire, he appeared in We Own This City as Sergeant Thomas Allers, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as films such as 2002’s City by the Sea, 2016’s My One and Only, and 2018’s Fishbowl. He also directed the documentaries 2005’s Off the Chain and 2016’s Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic.

Brown’s passing comes just months after the death of another The Wire actor, James Ransone, who died last January.