‘Beverly Hills Cop’ star John Ashton dead at 76

John David Ashton, the actor who starred opposite Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop,” has died at the age of 76, reported TMZ on Sunday.

A rep for Ashton told the outlet that he passed on Thursday in Ft. Collins, Colorado after fighting cancer.

The Springfield, Massachusettes native appeared in over 200 screen and stage productions during his 50-year career, including three out of four installments of “Beverly Hills Cop” beginning in 1984.

His latest turn as Chief John Taggart, the straight man to Murphy’s wise-cracking Axel Foley, premiered on Netflix earlier this year. Judge Reinhold starred between the two men as the affable Detective Billy Rosewood.

Ashton’s other credits include “M*A*S*H,” the 1987 John Hughes comedy-drama “Some Kind of Wonderful,” starring Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz, and opposite Robert De Niro in the 1988 action-comedy “Midnight Run.”

The sports fan later pivoted away from acting to co-host the “Ashton and Davis Show” on 870 ESPN Radio.

Ashton’s rep Alan Somers also told TMZ, “John leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and service. His memory will forever be treasured by his wife, children, grandchildren, as well as his brother, sisters, his extended family and all who loved him. John’s impact on the world will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.”

Any donation in John’s memory should be made to Pathways Hospice Care in Larimer County, Colorado.