Stephen J Cannell has probably been a big part of your childhood (if you are a similar age to me) and you may not have realised. He created or co-created nearly 40 television series, mostly crime dramas, including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings, and The Commish.
He also wrote and produced numerous other shows.
He died on Thursday at his home in Pasadena, Calif. He was 69.
The cause was complications from melanoma, his family said.
He will be missed.
