The official cause of death for The Wire actor Bobby J. Brown has been revealed, months after he was caught in a barn fire.
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The Maryland Medical Examiner confirmed to TMZ that Brown’s cause of death was diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation. His death was ruled an accident.
Brown died on Feb. 24 after reportedly going into a barn to jump-start a car and getting caught in a fire. TMZ reported that Brown called out to a family member for a fire extinguisher, but by the time they returned, the barn was engulfed in flames.
“I am upset and saddened. He was such a good actor and person,” Brown’s agent Albert Bramante said at the time. “He was totally dedicated to the craft of acting and was a joy to work with.”
Bobby J. Brown Was a Boxer Before Turning to Acting
Born in Washington, D.C., Brown began boxing at a young age, winning five Golden Gloves Championships before moving to New Jersey for his professional career. He developed an interest in acting while boxing in Atlantic City during the filming of the 1988 movie Homeboy. Brown later studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
According to IMDb, he made his onscreen debut in a 1998 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. That same year, he appeared as Average Joe in John Waters’ Pecker. His other film credits include City by the Sea (2002) and Miss Virginia (2019), and he made TV appearances in shows like Law & Order: SVU and Veep.
Of course, Brown is best known for playing Officer Bobby Brown on HBO’s The Wire (2002-2008). He returned to HBO in 2022 as Thomas Allers in We Own This City, a limited series from Jon Bernthal about corruption within the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force.
The 62-year-old is survived by his wife and children.