Actor David Soul, who earned fame as the blond half of crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” in the popular 1970s television series, has died at the age of 80.
His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.”
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she said in a statement.
She would add: “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in “Starsky & Hutch.”
BREAKING: Actor David Soul, best known for his role in TV series Starsky & Hutch, has died.https://t.co/aPnnfDNP8m
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/BFE5OTENly
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 5, 2024
It ran on ABC between 1975 and 1979, and grew so popular it spawned a host of children’s toys.
At the height of his fame, Soul also hit the music charts with the single “Don’t Give Up on Us.”
Are you a fan of “Starsky & Hutch”?
Soul had lived in Britain for many years, performing in several stage roles.
In 2001, he won a libel case against a journalist who called “The Dead Monkey,” a play that Soul was in, the worst production he had ever seen – without having seen it.
Soul also played the titular talk-show host in “Jerry Springer – The Opera” in London’s West End.
Soul and Glaser had cameos in the 2004 big-screen remake of “Starsky & Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.
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