John Langley death: Creator of long-running TV series ‘Cops’, dies in road race in Mexico aged 78

Langley was often called the ‘Godfather’ of reality television

SCORE International CEO Saul Fish (not pictured) gives Cops Racing Team owner (and former Baja 1000 winner) John Langley a preview of the watch at Cops Racing on 1 November, 2012 in El Segundo, California (Getty Images)

John Langley, the creator of the long-running TV series Cops, has died of apparent heart attack while taking part in a road race in Baja, Mexico.

According to a family spokeswoman, the 78-year-old TV and film director was competing “in the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off-road race” when his health deteriorated.

Langley was best known as the creator and executive producer of the reality TV show Cops. He was often called the “Godfather” of reality television thanks to the success of the show after its launch in March 1989.

The American documentary/reality legal series followed police officers, constables, sheriff’s deputies, federal agents, and state troopers during patrols and other police activities, including narcotics stings.

One of Langley’s notable achievements was the innovation of the “cinéma vérité” (truthful cinema) signature style of the award-winning programme.

The show won an American Television Award and received four Emmy Award nominations.

Among Langley’s other credits are Who Murdered JFK, a documentary about the examination of the John F Kennedy assassination, Code 3, Anatomy of Crime, Video Justice, and Cop Files.

He produced and directed many independent films such as Dogwatch, Tiptoes, and Wildside.

Langley was born in Oklahoma City in 1943 and began his career in the early 1960s, serving in the intelligence unit of the US Army before graduating from Cal State Dominguez Hills followed by attending UC Irvine for graduation school.

He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2011 for his contributions to television.