One of the most likable qualities comedian and actor Eddie Murphy was known for was the signature laugh from his career peak, most notably in the original 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop.
Murphy, 63, is currently promoting Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which is a return to the franchise that helped skyrocket his acting career and is the fourth installment in the action comedy movies.
Surely fans were expecting to hear Murphy's infectious '80s laughing in the film, since he reprised his character Detroit detective Axel Foley, but it was nowhere to be heard.
So why don't we hear his famous laugh anymore?
The internet wanted to know.
The SNL alum and 2015 recipient of the esteemed Mark Twain Prize for American Humor obliged us with an explanation.
When CBR host Kevin Polowy asked Murphy if he "retired Axel's laugh," Murphy interjected:
“No, not Axel's laugh, that was my laugh."
"And in the ’80s, I was like, ‘I don’t want to be known for a laugh.’ I noticed, some people would do an impression of me."
He continued:
"That’s all they did, they’d laugh. They’d be like, ‘Hey, Eddie Murphy!’ and go, ‘He he he.’”
“The audience would [erupt] and say, ‘That’s it! That’s him!’ And it was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna stop laughing like that.’"
"And I forced myself to stop laughing like that. Which is really an unnatural thing. And now I don’t laugh like that anymore.”
You can watch a clip from the interview, here.
Fans of his infectious laugh thought his reason for retiring it wasn't good enough.
Others understood but also pined for hearing his laugh once more, at least in the latest BHC film.
In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Axel returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane's life is threatened, according to the film's description. Father and daughter team up with old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood to uncover a conspiracy.
The newest sequel stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kevin Bacon, is directed by Mark Molloy, and was written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten from a story by Beall.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F streams on Netflix starting July 3.
We sadly won't be hearing Axel's iconic chortle, but there are sure to be plenty of laughs ahead, as it remains an action comedy in the spirit of the popular franchise.
