The heartbreaking mystery surrounding The Wire actor Bobby J. Brown’s death has finally been answered.
Brown, who died at 62 after being caught in a Maryland barn fire in February, passed away from diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation, PEOPLE confirmed through the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
His death was officially ruled an accident.
The actor, best known for roles in The Wire, We Own This City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Homicide: Life on the Street, died on Feb. 24 after the devastating fire.
For Brown’s family, the shocking news came in the middle of the night.
His daughter, Reina, previously recalled being jolted awake by a terrifying phone call from her younger sister.
“I was sound asleep. I had gone to bed about two hours before,” Reina told PEOPLE. “My little sister [was] freaking out, saying that Dad’s gone and that he got caught up in a barn fire, and I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ ”
The news was so horrifying that Reina said she had to physically ground herself to believe it was real.
“I literally went outside and put both my feet on my front walk,” she said. “It’s cold, and I stood out in my bare feet in a nightgown because I wanted to make sure I was really awake.”
She added that she stood there to make sure she was not dreaming.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Reina said. “I was like, this isn’t real. And I still don’t even feel like it’s real.”
According to Reina, Brown had called for a family member to bring him a fire extinguisher as the flames spread.
“Everybody is still trying to process it,” she said. “It’s been difficult for all of us.”
She remembered her father as far more than an actor.
“My dad was an amazing human being,” Reina said. “He was super awesome. He was a pillar in the community, and he’s going to be missed by a lot of people.”
Brown’s agent, Albert Bramante, also paid tribute to the late performer after his death, praising both his talent and character.
“Bobby J. Brown was an actor of immense talent and even greater integrity,” Bramante told PEOPLE. “He approached his work with a discipline and a passion that were truly inspiring to witness.”
He continued, “While his career included many notable performances, it was his unwavering dedication to the craft of acting that defined him as an artist. We are deeply saddened by this loss and ask for privacy for his family and loved ones during this time.”
Brown was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and had already lived a remarkable life before finding success on screen.
Before acting, he was a boxer who won five Golden Gloves championships. He later trained under boxing trainer Carmen Graziano and pursued a professional boxing career in New Jersey before turning his attention to acting.
That decision eventually took him to New York, where he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Brown went on to appear in several gritty, acclaimed crime dramas, including The Wire, The Corner, We Own This City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Homicide: Life on the Street.
He also worked behind the camera, directing the documentaries Off the Chain, which explored the abuse of American pit bull terriers, and Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic.
According to his IMDb biography, Brown donated a third of the profits from Off the Chain to animal welfare efforts through the Humane Society.
Months after his sudden death, the official ruling confirms what his family already knew: Brown’s final moments came in a terrifying accident that left those closest to him stunned, grieving and still trying to make sense of the loss.
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