‘Boyz n the Hood’ Actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson Dead at 76

Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, the actor known for playing the dirty cop in Boyz n the Hood, reportedly passed away on Friday.

Ferguson had several influential roles throughout his long career, including that of Offer Coffey in John Singleton‘s iconic Boyz n the Hood. His son, Jace, told reporters from TMZ that he passed away in his home in Palmdale, California on Friday night.

“He was a strong, beautiful intelligent black man and he wanted the best for his son and all people,” Jace told reporters.

Authorities said that Ferguson had a natural death, and there is no suspicion of foul play. The details are still unclear, however. Ferguson was born in New York City in 1941, and began his acting career in 1979. He retired from the industry in the late 1990s. He was 77 years old at the time of his death.

For today’s generation, Ferguson may be best remembered from Boyz n the Hood, where he played the menacing Officer Coffey. In one infamous scene, he put a gun to a young man’s throat, delivering a sinister monologue about police brutality.

“You think you’re tough? I could blow your head off right now,” he warned. “That’s why I took this job. Oh, I hate little motherf—ers like you. Little n—s, you ain’t s—. You think you tough, huh? I could blow your head off with this Smith and Wesson, you couldn’t do s—. How you feel now?”

Some of Ferguson’s other memorable roles included Darkman in 1990, where he played Eddie Black, and Prince of Darkness in 1987, where he played Calder. In 1984, he had a role in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

Boyz n the Hood director Singleton also had a recent health scare that put fans on edge. He suffered a stroke last week and remains in the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Earlier reports suggested that Singleton was on the mend and working through rehab, but according to TMZ he is still in a coma.

Singleton’s mother, Shelia Ward is reportedly battling it out with his daughter, Cleopatra for control of his affairs. Ward reportedly wants a judge to name her the temporary conservator for Singleton’s business interests, while Cleopatra claims that her father does not need her to do so. She believes her grandmother is trying to drain her father’s estate while he is incapacitated.

Ferguson is survived by his son, Jace.