Actor John Ashton, renowned for his role as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop film series, has passed away at the age of 76.

His manager, Alan Somers, confirmed that Ashton died on Thursday after a brief battle with cancer.

John Ashton first portrayed Sgt Taggart in Beverly Hills Cop, released in 1984. The film also starred Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold and was directed by Martin Brest. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. He returned for the sequel in 1987 and most recently reprised the role for Netflix‘s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which was released early this year.

In Martin Brest's another hit film Midnight Run, Ashton played more of an unscrupulous character. He was the rival bounty hunter also pursuing Charles Grodin’s wanted accountant in The Duke while he’s in the custody of Robert De Niro’s Jack Walsh.

In a career spanning five decades, Ashton appeared in several films and television shows. His notable works include An Eye for an Eye (1973), So Evil, My Sister (1974), Cat Murkil and the Silks (1976), Borderline (1979), and Honky Tonk Freeway (1981).

More recent projects include Sweet Deadly Dreams (2006), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Middle Men (2009), and Lonesome Soldier (2023).

On TV, he starred in many acclaimed series including episodes of Columbo, Wonder Woman, M*A*S*H, Starsky & Hutch, Dallas, The A-Team, The Twilight Zone, Judging Amy and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

He also made a memorable appearance in the long-running series Dallas during the 1978-79 season, playing Willie Jo Garr, a character entangled in a tragic storyline.

Born in 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Ashton graduated with a bachelors degree in theatre arts, which made him a successful actor. He is also an avid golfer and played several golf tournaments around the world for various causes.

Ashton is survived by his wife of 24 years, Robin Hoye; children Michelle Ashton and Michael Thomas Ashton; step-children Courtney Donovan, Lindsay Curcio and Ashley Hoye; grandson Henry; sisters Sharon Ann Ashton and Linda Jean Ashton; and brother Edward Richard Ashton.