Bobby J. Brown, the actor best known for his memorable role as Officer Bobby Brown on The Wire, has died.
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According to his daughter, the actor passed away on Feb. 24 from smoke inhalation. TMZ reported that Brown was caught in a barn fire in Maryland, which was ruled an accident. He had gone into the barn to jump-start a car.
Brown was 62.
TMZ added that Brown called out to a family member for a fire extinguisher. By the time they returned, however, the barn was already engulfed in flames.
“I am upset and saddened. He was such a good actor and person,” Brown’s agent Albert Bramante told the outlet. “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 and raised in Washington, D.C., Brown began boxing at a young age. He won five Golden Gloves Championships before moving to New Jersey to pursue a professional career, according to Deadline.
While boxing in Atlantic City casinos, Brown developed an interest in acting during the filming of the 1988 Mickey Rourke movie Homeboy. He later moved to New York to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
According to IMDb, he made his onscreen debut in a 1998 episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. That same year, he appeared in John Waters’ Pecker as Average Joe. His film credits include City by the Sea (2002) and Miss Virginia (2019), while his TV appearances include Law & Order: SVU and Veep.
However, Brown is best known for his role as Officer Bobby Brown on HBO’s The Wire, which aired from 2002 to 2008. In 2022, he returned to HBO as Thomas Allers in We Own This City, a limited series starring Jon Bernthal that explores the true story of corruption within Baltimore’s Police Department Gun Trace Task Force.
Brown is survived by his wife and children.