Actor David Soul, who rose to fame as the blonde half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” in the 1970s. television series, died at the age of 80.
His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – passed away yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of his family.”
“He shared many extraordinary gifts around the world as an actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she said in a statement. “His smile, his laugh and his passion for life will be remembered by many whose lives he touched.”
Soul starred as Detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser as Detective David Starsky in “Starsky & Hutch.” It aired on ABC between 1975 and 1979 and became so popular that it spawned a multitude 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.”
Soul had lived in Britain for many years, playing several stage roles. In 2001, he won a libel suit against a journalist who called “The Dead Monkey,” a play 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 made appearances in the 2004 big screen remake of “Starsky & Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.