‘The Wire’ Actor Dead After Getting Caught in Barn Fire: RIP Bobby J. Brown

Bobby J. Brown, the actor best known for his role as Officer Bobby Brown on The Wire, has died after being caught in a barn fire. He was 62.

The actor’s daughter told TMZ that Brown had died on Tuesday in Maryland after a fire accidentally sparked when he went inside a barn to jump-start a car.

Brown reportedly called out to a family member for a fire extinguisher, but by the time they returned, the barn was already engulfed in flames.

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Brown died of diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation, with his manner of death being ruled an accident. The actor’s wife also suffered severe burns trying to save him.

Brown’s daughter told TMZ that her father was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and that a funeral service for him is already being planned.

“I am upset and saddened. He was such a good actor and person,” his agent, Albert Bramante, added to the outlet. “He was totally dedicated to the craft of acting and was a joy to work with.”

Brown was best known for his role as Western District police officer Bobby Brown on the HBO series The Wire, appearing in dozens of episodes of the David Simon show’s five-season run.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Brown started off as a boxer, winning five Golden Glove Championships before moving to New Jersey to fight professionally, as per his IMDb. It was during the filming of the 1988 Mickey Rourke boxing movie Homeboy that Brown first got bitten by the acting bug, and he soon moved to New York to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Brown also appeared in We Own This City as Sgt. Thomas Allers, as well as in Homicide: Life on the Street, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. His film credits include 2002’s City by the Sea, 2016’s My One and Only, and 2018’s Fishbowl, and he also directed two documentaries — 2005’s Off the Chain and 2016’s Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic.