One half of the beloved 1970s on-screen police duo Starsky & Hutch, David Soul — who played Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on the show — has passed away at the age of 80.
The news was announced in a statement by his wife, Helen Snell, who said he died on Thursday “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,” Snell continued.
“His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Soul enjoyed enormous popularity for his defining role as Hutch alongside Paul Michael Glaser as Detective Dave Starsky. Starsky & Hutch ran from 1975 to 1979. When the characters were reboot for a movie in 2004, Ben Stiller played Starsky and Owen Wilson was Hutch — although both David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser had cameos in the film.
Soul is also remembered for his roles in Here Come The Brides, Magnum Force and The Yellow Rose.
Later in life he starred in many British television series and in 2004 he became a British citizen.
He also had success as a singer, with a 1977 hit that topped the U.S. charts called “Don’t Give Up on Us” and another single “Silver Lady,” which was a number one hit in the United Kingdom.
Soul was arrested in the 1980s for attacking his then wife, Patti Carnel Sherman, when she was seven months pregnant, according to the BBC. After Soul completed a probationary diversion program, charges against him were dropped. Later, Soul went to prisons to talk to inmates about domestic violence and spoke of his regret about his own actions.
David Soul was married five times, and had five sons and one daughter.
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