Actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson dies suddenly at 76

Jessie Lawrence Ferguson who starred in the 1991 teen crime drama Boyz n the Hood has died according to TMZ. He was 76.

According to the outlet, Ferguson's son, Jace, said that the actor died suddenly on Saturday AEDT at his home in Palmdale, California. Jace said he found his father next to his bed with the TV still on.

Jace told TMZ that his father "was a strong, beautiful intelligent black man and he wanted the best for his son and all people."

The outlet reported that police said that there was nothing suspicious about his death, however the cause is still unknown.

Jessie -- who played a dirty cop, Office Coffey, in the hit flick, -- in one scene held a gun to the throat of the lead character, Trey Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), telling him, "You think you're tough? I could blow your head off right now. That's why I took this job."

After landing his first major starring role in the hit TV series Starsky and Hutch, Jessie went on to also appear in The Chosen One, The Presidio, To Protect and Serve, and Prince of Darkness.

The news of Jessie's death comes just days after the Boyz n the Hood's famed director, John Singleton, entered a coma. Currently in intensive care in LA, Singleton, 51, suffered from a stroke ten days ago.

Ever since, Singleton's family have reportedly been fighting over his estate with his mother, Sheila Ward, and his daughter, Cleopatra Singleton, battling it out in court.