Jessie Lawrence Ferguson wasn’t in many scenes in John Singleton‘s 1991 film “Boyz n the Hood,” but it’s safe to say his parts as a crooked Los Angeles cop were extremely memorable.
Sadly, Ferguson passed away on Friday, April 26, in Palmdale, California, at the age of 77, according to reports. The actor’s son Jace confirmed the news and said he found Ferguson next to his bed with the television on.
He also said the death came as a shock, because his father looked fine just days prior. But police say there was no foul play involved, and Ferguson died of natural causes.
Jace talked about the kind of man his father was and praised him for truly loving him. “He was a strong, beautiful intelligent black man and he wanted the best for his son and all people,” he explained.
According to IMDb, the 6-foot-5 actor was born in the Bronx, New York, and had his first major role in the 1970s cop series “Starsky and Hutch.”
He also appeared in series like “Hill Street Blues,” “Trapper John M.D.,” “The A-Team” and “St. Elsewhere.” Ferguson’s last acting credit was for a short film called “The Chosen One” in 1995.
But he’ll probably be most remembered for holding a gun to Cuba Gooding Jr.’s neck in “Boyz n the Hood.”
“You think you tough,” he tells Gooding Jr.’s character Tre. “You scared now, huh? I like that. That’s why I took this job.”
News of Ferguson’s death comes amid the shock of Singleton’s passing, who died Monday in Los Angeles at 51, nearly two weeks after having a stroke. His family removed him from life support and recently revealed that he suffered from hypertension for most of his life.
