R.I.P. Briscoe...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Jerry Orbach, longtime star of the "Law & Order" television series, died from prostate cancer on Wednesday, his manager told a local New York City radio station. He was 69.

Orbach, who earned a reputation as the quintessential New Yorker through his work in films such as "Prince of the City" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors," was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this month.

Orbach starred for 12 seasons in the original "Law & Order" television series as Detective Lennie Briscoe and was set to star in a new spinoff from the successful franchise later this year.

His manager, Robert Malcolm, told New York radio station 1010 WINS that the actor had died.

Orbach, a lanky actor with a deep voice and a slicked mop of black hair, first made his name on Broadway, winning a Tony for "Promises, Promises." He was also in the original cast of "Chicago" and "42nd Street."