James Ransone's death has been formally ruled a suicide

James Ransone's death has been formally ruled a suicide.

The Wire actor passed away on 19 December at the age of 46, and his death certificate, which was issued on 29 December, has officially recorded the fact he took his own life, People magazine reports.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had previously ruled his death an apparent suicide.

Shortly after his death, James' widow, Jamie McPhee, paid an emotional tribute to the Generation Kill actor and thanked him for giving her the "greatest gift" of their two children, Jack, six, and four-year-old Violet.

In a post on Instagram, she shared a picture of James with a hand on her baby bump and wrote: "I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again... You told me - I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me - and you were so right.

"Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts - you, Jack and Violet. We are forever."

Following James' death, a crowd-funding page was set up to support Jamie and the kids in the aftermath of the tragedy and she has shared a link on her Instagram page.