Stephen J. Cannell, the man who created The Rockford Files, The A-Team, and 21 Jump Street, passed away Thursday night after battling melanoma. Cannell was also a writer and producer on many more television series including Silk Stalkings, The Commish, Hunter and countless others. A release was issued today on his website:

“With profound sadness, we have to announce that our dear friend and colleague, Stephen Cannell, has lost a brave fight against cancer. He will be missed beyond measure by the Cannell Team and all of us who had the privilege and the plain good luck to know and work with him. Through the legacy of his body of work, with which he was able to entertain and enrich the lives of millions of viewers and thousands of readers, he will always be with us, living on in our hearts and minds, with fond memories forever.”

More recently Cannell had been featured on the ABC drama Castle as a poker buddy to protagonist Richard Castle.