Bobby J. Brown, the actor known for playing a police officer on The Wire, has died in a barn fire at the age of 62.
The news was confirmed by authorities in Maryland, who told TMZ that Brown passed away from diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation. The death has been ruled an accident.
According to his daughter Reina’s social media account, Brown went into a barn on his residence in St Mary County, Maryland on Tuesday (February 24) to try to jumpstart a car, only for the vehicle to ignite.
His family attempted to extinguish the fire themselves and summoned firefighters to the house, but the Maryland fire marshal’s office pronounced him dead at the scene.
“It hurts in a way that sits heavy in my chest and does not move,” his daughter has said. “I would give anything to hear his voice again, to see him one more time, and to have one more conversation.
“The suddenness of it is overwhelming. One ordinary evening can become the last moment you ever get.”
RIP to Bobby J. Brown who passed away in a tragic accident on Tuesday evening. Brown appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street, The Corner, The Wire & We Own This City. He was 62 years old. pic.twitter.com/AmbOqHL0Px
— Ziggy_Sobotka (@Ziggys_Duck) February 26, 2026
He played a police officer who shared his own name, Bobby Brown, on the HBO crime epic The Wire, appearing in 12 episodes across the show’s run from 2002 to 2008.
His other acting credits included playing Sgt. Thomas Allers in another acclaimed HBO crime series, 2022’s We Own This City, and he also appeared in Law & Order: SVU, Veep, Homicide: Life On The Street and The Corner.
Brown was born in Washington, DC, and started out as a professional boxer, before deciding to pursue acting after being inspired by Mickey Rourke’s turn in the 1988 film Homeboy.
His agent, Albert Bramante, told TMZ: “I am upset and saddened. He was such a good actor and person. He was totally dedicated to the craft of acting and was a joy to work with.”
Brown is the third star of The Wire to pass away in the last two months, after the deaths of Isiah Whitlock Jr at the age of 71 and James Ransone at the age of 46, both in December.