‘Fresh Prince’ Producer Jeffrey Ian Pollack Found Dead

Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air producer Jeffrey Ian Pollack has been found dead at the age of 54, police says.

According to authorities, the body of the 54-year-old producer of 1990s films such as Booty Call and Above The Rim was discovered on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Hermosa Beach Police Department said a woman called in to inform authorities she had seen a man down on one of the city’s walking paths on December 23.

Police responding to the scene found the Fresh Prince producer on the ground by the side of the walking/running path near a tree, according to CNN.

Reports indicate that Pollack was an avid runner and was found wearing jogging clothing and a music player, but authorities do not suspect foul play in the case, however a cause of death has yet to be determined.

Additionally to being a producer for Fresh Prince, Pollack was a business partner of Benny Medina –the inspiration for the successful series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter the pair formed a celebrity management company called Handprint Entertainment, whose clients included such high profile names as Tyra Banks, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez. The company ended in 2008.

Medina said in a statement to Deadline:

“It is with a heavy heart that I must bid farewell to my dear friend, Jeff Pollack.”

“Jeff was a talented writer, director, producer and entrepreneur (…) but he would say his greatest accomplishment was his two children, Lael and Logan, to whom he was an amazing and devoted father.”

“He was my partner, but first and foremost, a great and loyal friend whom I loved dearly.”

“Gone too soon, I will miss him.”

Fresh Prince starred Will Smith in the title character and was originally aired on NBC between 1990 and 1996.

A huge success, which still runs on syndication, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the story of Will, who lives in Philadelphia and after getting in some trouble with kids on the block, is sent to live with his wealthy relatives, uncle Phil and aunt Viv, who is his mother’s sister.

There he gets into all kinds of trouble as he tries to fit into this different world and gets to know the rest of the family, which includes geeky Carlton, posh Hillary, and Ashley Banks, along with the cheeky butler Geoffrey.

The Fresh Prince producer is survived by two children — daughter Lael Pollack, 19, and son Logan Pollack, 13 — from his marriage to ex-wife Solange White.

Some of Pollack’s most recent work included executive consultant on The Tyra Banks Show and production consultant on Monster with Charlize Theron, for which she won an Academy Award for her role as a serial killer.

But he was best known for his role in producing Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, one of the most successful sitcoms in American television history.