"Officer J.D. LaRue" is a talented undercover cop who is most known for his alcoholism, womanizing, and get-rich-quick schemes. He is often confronted by his Captain about his constant drinking, which led him to almost being kicked off the force. The actor himself, Kiel Martin, was almost just as unlucky as his character. Martin was married and divorced three times. Just like his character in "Hill Street Blues", he too suffered from alcoholism, but was able to manage it. Kiel Martin sadly died from lung cancer at the age of 46 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.