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John Ashton, ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ franchise’s grumpy Detective Taggart, dies at 76

Actors Judge Reinhold (left) and John Ashton, who played the characters Billy Rosewood and John Taggert in the Beverly Hills Cop series. (Judge Reinhold/X.com)
By Alexandra Del Rosario Los Angeles Times
Actors Judge Reinhold (left) and John Ashton, who played the characters Billy Rosewood and John Taggert in the Beverly Hills Cop series. (Judge Reinhold/X.com)

John Ashton, the veteran actor who was best known for portraying crabby Detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise, has died.

Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colo., his family said in a statement to The Times, shared by his manager, Alan Somers. A cause of death was not revealed. He was 76.

“John was a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather who will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” the family said.

Ashton, a Massachusetts native, died two months after the premiere of Netflix’s “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which saw him reunite with Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold 40 years after the original movie premiered in 1984.

The first “Beverly Hills Cop,” directed by Martin Brest, follows Murphy’s Axel Foley, a Detroit detective who works to solve a murder case in Beverly Hills with the reluctant help of Ashton’s Taggart and Judge Reinhold’s Billy Rosewood.

Taggart is a seasoned, by-the-book detective whose relationship with Axel starts off contentiously. “We’re more likely to believe an important local businessman than a foul-mouthed jerk from out of town,” Taggart tells his soon-to-be partner in “Beverly Hills Cop.”

Tensions between Taggart and Axel eventually cool, leading to a successful rescue mission at the end of the film and paving the way for more “Beverly Hills Cop” films in the years to follow. Three years after the first installment, Murphy, Ashton and Reinhold reunited for “Beverly Hills Cop II,” though Ashton did not return for “Beverly Hills Cop III” in 1994.

In July 2024, Netflix revived the film franchise and reunited the trio for “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.”

“It was like a homecoming, like a family reunion when we got back together. It was very easy,” Ashton told HeyUGuys during the film’s premiere.

Before “Beverly Hills Cop,” Ashton was no stranger to popular police-centered projects, having appeared in series including “Kojak,” “Columbo” “and “Starsky & Hutch” in the ‘70s. His TV credits also include “M*A*S*H,” “Dallas,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Brookside” and “Hardball.”

Ashton also starred in films “An Eye for an Eye,” “Midnight Run,” “Little Big League” and “Some Kind of Wonderful,” among others.

John David Ashton was born Feb. 22, 1948, in Springfield, Mass. He graduated from USC, where he studied theater arts. More than a memorable actor, Ashton was also an avid reader, golf enthusiast, fan of the New York Yankees and New York Giants, and a family man.

“Family was paramount to John,” his loved ones said.

He is survived by his wife, Robin Hoye, children Michelle and Michael; stepchildren Courtney, Lindsay and Ashley; grandson Henry; sisters Sharon Ann Ashton and Linda Jean and brother Edward.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date, though the family says donations in Ashton’s memory can be made to Pathways Hospice Care in Fort Collins.