LOS ANGELES -- Actor-producer Jack Webb, the no-nonsense 'just the facts, ma'am, just the facts' television cop who carried the now-retired Badge 714 on the 'Dragnet' TV series, has died of a heart attack. He was 62.
Paramedics were summoned by Webb's wife, Opal, after the actor awoke Thursday about 3 a.m., complained of severe stomach pains and lapsed into unconsciousness. He was pronounced dead at 3:23 a.m.
An autopsy determined he died of a heart attack caused by arteriosclerosis, coroner's spokesman Bill Gold said.
Although best remembered for his stone-faced role as Sgt. Joe Friday on 'Dragnet,' he achieved considerable success as a TV producer for such shows as 'Emergency' and 'Adam 12.'
He also carried his cold-as-a-bullet screen presence to 'The D.I.,' a motion picture about a Marine Corps drill instructor.
'Dragnet' and 'Adam-12' were based on meticulous study of the Los Angeles Police Department, and Chief Daryl Gates ordered that flags at police headquarters and substations be flown at half staff.
Lt. Dan Cooke said the LAPD and other departments use episodes from 'Adam-12' as training films.
'We used to get calls from other departments across the country saying they used to time roll call so they could watch 'Adam-12,' Cooke said. 'It was so accurate they wanted to see how the LAPD handled situations.'
Cooke said the department gave Badge 714, Webb's badge number on 'Dragnet,' to the actor with the inscription: 'To Jack Webb, the best reel cop from the best real cops.'
Gates said the badge will now be retired and returned to the chief's office.
'He discovered the LAPD,' said a tearful police official in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. 'We never existed until 'Dragnet.''
Webb is credited with introducing the realistic action series with creation of 'Dragnet' in 1952 -- a time when television was dominated by comedy and vaudeville.
Actor Harry Morgan, who played Officer Bill Gannon in the 'Dragnet' series from 1967-70, said Webb was not the emotionless man he appeared to be.
'Jack had a kind of dour expression and laconic speech and did not appear to be a terribly affectionate man on 'Dragnet,' but in reality he was just the opposite. His affection, if anything, was over displayed,' Morgan said.
'Jack was a lovely man,' actor Kent McCord, who played a rookie cop in 'Adam-12,' said. 'His philosophy in the shows he made were that reality was more often than not is stranger than fiction.'
Webb was born in nearby Santa Monica and by the time he was 18 he was supporting his family working in a clothing store and a steel mill. In 1942 he went into the U.S. Army.
He later worked for a San Francisco radio station as an announcer, disc jockey and writer. He soon moved to Hollywood, where he did part-time radio work and played bit parts in motion pictures such as 'Sunset Boulevard,' prior to 'Dragnet's' conception.
The strains of 'Dum-De-Dum-Dum' were first heard when 'Dragnet' was introduced as a radio series in 1949. The series successfully made the jump to television in 1952, running for seven years until Webb decided to retire it. In 1967, Webb brought the show back for four more seasons on television.
Webb's previous wives included singer-actress Julie London, who he married in 1947 in London. The marriage lasted six years. He married Dorothy Towne in 1955 and was divorced two years later. He married beauty contest winner Jackie Loughery in 1958. They were divorced in 1964.
Webb is survived by his wife, Opal, and two daughters, Stacy and Lisa. The family asked that the funeral and burial be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Jack Webb Memorial Fund at the Los Angeles Police Department.