David Soul, who was best known for his role in “Starsky & Hutch,” died on Thursday. He was 80.
Soul’s wife, Helen Snell, confirmed the news on Friday.
“David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” she wrote in a statement obtained by Pvnew.
Snell raved about how Soul “shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend.”
“His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched,” she concluded.
Snell didn’t elaborate on her late husband’s cause of death.
Soul’s manager didn’t immediately return Pvnew’s request for comment.
Soul rose to fame in the 1970s when he played Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the popular crime show, “Starsky & Hutch.”
He starred alongside Paul Michael Glaser, who played Detective Dave Starsky on the show, which ran from 1975 to 1979.
Glaser has yet to release a statement on the passing of his former co-star, nor did his rep return Pvnew’s request for comment.
Soul and Glaser reunited 25 years after the ending of their original show to make cameos in the 2004 movie remake, which starred Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.
Soul also had prominent rolls in “Here Comes the Brides” from 1968 to 1970 and “Magnum Force” in 1973.
Throughout his career, he appeared on other shows and films, such as “Star Trek,” “Gunsmoke” and “I Dream of Jeannie,” among others.
He received an Emmy nomination for his role in the TV movie “Rage” in 1980.
After his acting successes, the American-British personality made a career in music and charted with some of his singles, including “Silver Lady” and “Don’t Give Up on Us.”
Soul continued acting and singing in various television shows and theatre performances until 2014.
He was married five times and was a father to six children. He was first married to actress Miriam “Mim” Solberg from 1964 to 1965 before tying the knot to Karen Carlson in 1968. They were married for nine years.
The singer wed his “Here Come the Brides” co-star Patti Carnel Sherman in 1980. He was arrested for attacking her when she was seven months pregnant, but the charges were dropped after he completed therapy and alcoholism classes. They divorced in 1986.
He walked down the aisle for a fourth time to actress Julia Nickson in 1987, but they split in 1993.
After taking a few years off from marriage, Soul married his fifth and final wife, Snell, in 2010, after eight years of dating.
In a 2019 interview with the Sunday Times, he called Snell, “my life”
“There are a lot of things I’d like to do, but, mostly, when I leave this place I want my wife to be OK,” he said. “I want that our love continues to fulfil her, wherever and forever. She’s an incredible woman, a truly wonderful person. I’m a lucky guy.”
