Howard Rollins; Starred in TV’s ‘Heat of the Night’

Howard Rollins, who was dropped from the popular television series “In the Heat of the Night” because of drug problems, has died. He was 46.

Rollins died Sunday in St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. The hospital gave no details about the cause of death, but a publicist for series co-star Carroll O’Connor said Monday that Rollins died of complications from lymphoma.

Rollins, who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse problems, had appeared opposite O’Connor as Virgil Tibbs, a black detective from Philadelphia working in a racially volatile Southern town. He was dropped from the series in 1993.

O’Connor’s son Hugh, who had played a law officer on the show, committed suicide last year. His father attributed that death to a 16-year struggle with drugs.

Rollins had been nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor in the 1981 film “Ragtime.” He was also nominated for an Emmy in the same category for the daytime television show “Another World.”

His other films included “The House of God,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “On the Block” and “Drunks.”

Among Rollins’ television credits were “Our Street,” “All My Children” and the miniseries “Roots: The Next Generation.”

Born in Baltimore, Rollins studied theater at Towson State College and took classes in acting and dance in New York City.

His early career was spent on stage, mostly in New York and London. Among his performances were “I’m Not Rappaport” and Shakespeare’s “Othello.”