Art Metrano has died at the age of 84.
The American stand-up comedian best known for playing police captain Ernie Mauser in the second and third Police Academy films has passed away from natural causes, his son, Harry, told TMZ.
Art died at his home in Aventura, Florida in Florida.
Grief-stricken Harry told the outlet: "I lost my best friend."
"He was and will always be the toughest man I know.
"I have never met someone who has overcome more adversities than him."
Harry went on: "He’s fought and won so much over the years that I always viewed him as indestructible, but the truth is we don’t live forever on earth, but a person’s spirit can live forever within you."
Art's devastated son also took to Instagram to pay tribute to the star.
Alongside a snap of his dear late dad, Harry penned: "Dad, you will always be a part of me and I will continue to live out your legacy.
"When someone came up with the quote, "legends never die," I’m pretty sure they were talking about you dad.
"I love you and miss you so much! One day I’ll see you again. Rest in Paradise. You’re now my guardian angel," he finished the emotional post.
Art's career first catapulted him to fame in the late 1960s when he made appearances on TV shows including Mannix, The Mod Squad, and Bewitched.
Then came his first huge role in Sydney Pollack's classic 1969 Depression-era drama They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Here, Art starred alongside Hollywood royalty, Jane Fonda.
Art also played Rico Mastorelli on the 1982-83 ABC sitcom Joanie Loves Chachi - a spinoff of Happy Days.
Early on in his acting career, his path was derailed after a serious home accident left him partially paralyzed.
The actor fell from a ladder, landed on his head and fracturing his first, second and seventh vertebrae.
The horrific accident left him a quadriplegic, but he made a remarkable recovery and turned his setback into an opportunity to branch out in his career as a stand-up comedian.
He continued to appear in popular television shows afterwards, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Starsky & Hutch and The Incredible Hulk.
