Cannell Signs Off

This is terrible news with which to end the week. TV producer, screenwriter, and novelist Stephen J. Cannell--the man who gave us such memorable shows as The Rockford Files, City of Angels, The A-Team, Wiseguy, Hardcastle and McCormick, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Riptide, and Tenspeed and Brown Shoe--died at his home in Pasadena, California, last evening “due to complications associated with melanoma.” He was 69 years old.

Cannell’s latest book, The Prostitute’s Ball (St. Martin’s Press)--the 10th installment in his detective Shane Scully series--is due to arrive in bookstores on October 12.

UPDATE: In the video segment below, Cannell’s gorgeous daughter Chelsea, star of E!’s That Morning Show, looks back at one of her dad’s earliest hit shows for television.



READ MORE: “Stephen J. Cannell Dies,” by Jaime Weinman (Macleans); “Stephen J. Cannell,” by Tony Figueroa (TV Confidential); “David Chase, Steven Bochco, and Other Hollywood Folks Remember Stephen J. Cannell,” by T.L. Stanley (Los Angeles Times); “Remembering Stephen J. Cannell: His Best Shows,” by Bob Sassone (TV Squad); “TV Producer Stephen J. Cannell Created 40 Shows,” by Paige Wiser (Chicago Sun-Times); “Stephen J. Cannell Passes On,” by Mercurie (A Shroud of Thoughts); “Legendary TV Producer Stephen J. Cannell Was Also a Strong Voice for Indie Producers,” by Joe Flint (Los Angeles Times); “Remembering Steve,” by Lee Goldberg (A Writer’s Life); “Stephen Cannell,” by Tod Goldberg; “A Stephen J. Cannell Production” (The Lipstick Chronicles); “Better Late Than ...,” by Max Allan Collins (Friends/Family/Fans of Max Allan Collins).