'Boyz N the Hood' star Jessie Lawrence Ferguson dead at 77

Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, star of "Boyz N the Hood," died at age 77. (Columbia Pictures)

"Boyz N the Hood" actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson has died aged 77.

The star, who played a crooked police officer in the 1991 blockbuster, is understood to have passed away at home in California on Friday night.

His son told TMZ he discovered his dad in bed with the TV on but said he had been healthy in the days leading up to his death.

It is not yet clear how he died but police said there are no suspicious circumstances.

Ferguson made his major acting debut in Starsky and Hutch in 1979.

But it was his performance in "Boyz N The Hood" alongside Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and  Regina King as Officer Coffey that propelled him into stardom.

His character famously holds a gun to the throat of Trey Styles, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr., telling him: "You think you're tough? I could blow your head off right now. That's why I took this job."

Ferguson also appeared in "The Chosen One," "The Presidio," "To Protect and Serve," and "Prince of Darkness."

News of his tragic death comes just days after "Boyz N the Hood" director John Singleton was rushed to hospital after suffering from a stroke.

He remains in a coma in intensive care in LA.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.