RIP - Stephen J Cannell

By some sad coincidence, I happened to be watching the 2010 movie "The A-Team" and checking out the references to the 80s TV show that holds a nostalgic place in my heart as being a harmless, character-filled, action TV show. I completed watching it only to discover through Nathan Fillion's Facebook fanpage that Stephen had passed. He was 69. He passed away on Thursday at his home in California, Pasadena, after complications with Melanoma. I'm sad because his prolific career could have gone on for longer. He gave much to the industry and a lot of entertainment to us all in the 40 shows he either wrote or produced.

I recall watching The Rockford Files with my Dad when I was little. It was a light drama about a Private Investigator that was popular because of the characters in the show. To me, that's Stephen J Cannell's legacy, providing Television with such rich characters. Who could forget BA, Face, Murdock and Hannibal alone?Despite being famous for that show, he wrote and produced Wiseguy from 1987-90, which is cited as being the forerunner to The Sopranos. He wrote 16 novels and recently appeared on the show Castle.

I'l raise a glass to Mr Cannell tonight and mourn the loss of a great writer who battled through the years with Dyslexia.