The executive producer of the long-running reality series was reported to have suffered an apparent heart attack when competing in the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off road race in Baja.
- Jun 28, 2021
AceShowbiz - The creator and executive producer of long-running reality series "Cops" has died. John Langley suffered an apparent heart attack and passed away as he was competing in the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off road race in Baja, Mexico on Saturday, June 26.
The filmmaker was 78 at time of his passing. He is survived by his wife Maggie; two sons Morgan, who oversees Langley Productions and is also an executive producer of "Cops", and Zak; two daughters Sarah Langley Dews and Jennifer Blair; and seven grandchildren.
His hit show premiered in 1989 and aired until 2020, earning four primetime Emmy Award nominations, with multiple versions around the world still airing in syndication. The project followed police officers as they investigated crimes. It was canceled in 2013 before being picked up by Spike network which became Paramount Network in 2018.
George Floyd's tragic death in Minneapolis in 2020 has led to its second cancellation. At the time, a network spokesperson stated, " 'Cops' is not on the Paramount Network and we don't have any current or future plans for it to return."
Born in Oklahoma City, Langley was raised in Los Angeles. He went to California State University, Dominguez Hills. In the early 1960s, he served in the U.S. Army. He took his shot in reality television with "American Vice: The Doping of a Nation" that focused on live drug arrests.
Langley also produced Antoine Fuqua movie "Brooklyn's Finest" and the non-fiction series "Jail", "Vegas Strip" and "Anatomy of a Crime".
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011.
