R.I.P. LENNIE BRISCOE

Jerry Orbach is dead from prostate cancer at the age of 69.

Not only is Law & Order -- the original, not the spin-offs -- just about the only network crime drama I've actually liked in the past 10-15 years, but Lennie was a wonderful character.

I covered the police long enough to know the difference between real cops and tv cops. But it was reassuring just to think that there might be real cops out there like Detective Lennie Briscoe -- a tough old bird, cynical enough to cope with the horrors he has to deal with, compassionate enough to remember why he became a cop in the first place -- and funny as hell.

Here's a story about his death.

Here's a nice tribute written after he retired from the series earlier this year.

And here's a fan page with some memorable Lennie quotes.