'Cops' Creator John Langley Dead at 78 of an Apparent Heart Attack

John Langley.Photo: Todd Oren/Getty

John Langley, the creator and executive producer ofCops, has died. He was 78.

Langley died on Saturday of an apparent heart attack in Baja, Mexico, his representatives have confirmed to PEOPLE.

Langley was competing in the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off-road race.TMZadds that his son Zak was with him at the time.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1943, Langley began his career in the early 1960s, serving in the intelligence unit of the U.S. Army before later graduating from Cal State Dominguez Hills and attending U.C. Irvine for grad school after, perVariety.

Later in life, Langley began his stint in reality television with his 1986 special American Vice: The Doping of a Nation. The project showed live drug arrests on primetime television.

Jacob Andrzejczak/Getty

He then went on to produce various series, includingInside American Jail,Las Vegas Jailhouse,Street Patrol, andUndercover Stings, as well as documentaries includingTerrorism: Target USAandWho Killed JFK?

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But in the late 1980s, Langley got his big break when he and production partner Malcolm Barbour were able to getCopson the air after trying for many years to find a home network for the show.

In its inaugural years, the series was nominated forEmmy awardsin the outstanding informational series category four times.

Langley also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2011 for his contributions to the entertainment industry.

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The series was latercanceled againin 2020 following the death ofGeorge Floydin Minneapolis.“Copsis not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a network spokesperson said in astatementtoDeadlineat the time.

source: people.com