Stephen J. Cannell dead at 69

Prolific television writer/producer, and occasional actor, Stephen J. Cannell lost his battle with melanoma and passed away at his Los Angeles-area home on Thursday, September 30. He was 69.

Cannell was a tireless creative mind whose constant pounding out of ideas on typewriters, as shown in the memorable filmic logo for his production company. Virtually anyone reading these words has been entertained by Cannell creations, be it The A Team, The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, Hunter, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, Cobra, Black Sheep Squadron, Silk Stalkings, Renegade (in which he also had a recurring role as the main villain), and many other successful series--and a few not-so-successful--or any one of dozens of made-for-TV movies he wrote and produced.