LA Cop Turned Bestselling Author, Joseph Wambaugh, Dies at 88

Best known for “The Onion Field” and creating the anthology crime TV-series “Police Story,” died on Feb. 28 from esophageal cancer.

Joseph Wambaugh attends the 14th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 25, 2009. John M. Heller/Getty Images

Joseph Wambaugh, a bestselling author whose work was inspired by his experience as a Los Angeles Police Department detective, died at 88 years old.

Wambaugh died on Feb. 28 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, as a result of esophageal cancer, according to a confirmation on his official Facebook page.

“Heaven has gained a new choir boy, friends,” read the post, the last part of which was written in all capital letters. “Thank you for everything, Joe Wambaugh!”

According to the Mayo Clinic, esophageal cancer occurs when cells begin to multiply along the lining of the esophagus and is most commonly found in men.

Meanwhile, tributes began pouring in across social media from friends, fans and novelists alike, including authors Lee Goldberg and Michael Connelly who recalled their fondest memories with him.

“He was a friend and mentor. I will miss his words, both to me and on the page. I read his work long before I knew him,” wrote Connelly.

“I’m very sad to hear about Joseph Wambaugh’s passing,” said Goldberg. “His work never failed to inspire me. He will be missed.”

Wambaugh is survived by his wife of 70 years, Dee Allsup, two of their children David and Jeannette, and two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Early Career

Born on Jan. 22, 1937, the Pittsburgh native was an only child and son of a police chief. At 14 years old, Wambaugh and his family relocated to Southern California.

In 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and later studied English at California State University, Los Angeles, where he had every intent to become an educator.

However, Wambaugh decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, and in 1960 joined the Los Angeles Police Department. Over an eight year period, he earned a master’s degree while working as a detective sergeant.

Through his love for literature, Wambaugh began crafting short stories that described his first-hand policing experience, releasing his first two crime novels “The New Centurions” and “The Blue Knight.”

He resigned from the department in 1974, after newfound success with his publication of “The Onion Field,” and began writing full-time.

Throughout the course of his 40 year career, Wambaugh published more than 20 books, with several of them being turned into films, along with creating police-inspired television shows such as “Police Story.”

“People would call the station with bogus crimes and ask for Sgt. Wambaugh to solve them,” read an excerpt on his website. “Suspects he arrested asked for acting roles in film adaptations.”

Wambaugh did not always focus his writing on police work, and for some time published other successful pieces of literature including “The Black Marble,” “The Secrets of Harry Bright,” “The Glitter Dome,” and “The Choirboys.”

His most recent publications were the “The Hollywood Station Series,” based on stories he said he gained from informal meetings with police officers.

“I was forced to do research in order to collect fresh anecdotes and ideas for my fiction,” Wambaugh explained on his website.

“The most sensible approach and one that I thought would work was to invite groups of police officers to dinner meetings at good restaurants where they could dine and drink and ventilate.”

Wambaugh published his final novel “Harbor Nocturne” in 2012—the fifth book in the Hollywood Station series.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.