LA Law star Alan Rachins dead at 82

LA Law star Alan Rachins has died aged 82.

The Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor became a household name in the 1980s and 1990s in LA Law, in which he played philandering attorney Douglas Brackman.

He later took on the role of Jenna Ellman's marijuana-smoking hippie father in the sitcom Dharma & Greg, from 1997 to 2002.

Rachins' widow, actor Joanna Frank, confirmed the actor had passed away to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Saturday, Frank, whom Rachins married in 1978, announced that he had died of heart failure while sleeping at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.

Rachins also guest-starred in a wide variety of TV series, including The Golden Girls, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS and Young Sheldon.

He once reflected, "I love the idea of playing different characters and I wouldn't want to be stuck doing the same thing all of the time."

Rachins also worked behind the camera, writing episodes of Hill Street Blues, Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy.

Franks and Rachins tied the knot after meeting in an acting class. They later welcomed a son, Robert, and often acted together. She appeared in a recurring role as Brackman's ex-wife in LA Law.