David Soul, who won cult status for his role in 1970s TV series Starsky & Hutch before topping the charts with his hit ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’, has died at the age of 80.
His heartbroken wife Helen Snell said the British-American star had passed away surrounded by his family following a ‘valiant battle for life’.
She said in a statement: ‘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.
‘His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.’
David Soul as Detective Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser’s Detective Dave Starsky
The original series ran for four seasons on ABC from 1975 to 1979. Pictured are Soul and Glaser in a publicity photo
Soul became an international star and pin-up thanks to Starsky and Hutch during the show’s four year run between 1975 and 1979
Soul became an international star and pin-up thanks to Starsky and Hutch during the show’s four year run between 1975 and 1979.
He played Detective Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser’s Detective Dave Starsky.
The original series ran for four seasons on ABC from 1975 to 1979, following the title characters, detectives who fought crime on the streets of the fictional Bay City, California in a bright red Gran Torino, with Antonio Fargas playing their informant, Huggy Bear.
Soul also enjoyed a short-lived pop career, scoring a number one hit in the US and UK with catchy ballad Don’t Give Up On Us Baby in 1976.
Further chart toppers would follow in 1977, with singles Going In With My Eyes Open and Silver Lady, but Soul’s foray as a singer would end 12-months later with the release of It Sure Brings Out The Love In Your Eyes – his fifth and final single.
Other memorable film roles included that of a vigilante cop in Dirty Harry sequel The Enforcer and the lead as nostalgic writer Ben Mears in 1979 Stephen King adaptation Salem’s Lot.
Soul was born in Chicago on August 28, 1943 to a family of Norwegian descend.
His mother, June Johnanne, was a teacher and his father, Dr Richard W. Solberg, a Lutheran minister and professor of History and Political Science.
He began performing on stage in the mid-1960s, before first gaining national attention by singing on TV wearing a mask as part of an act he called ‘The Covered Man’.
But he continued acting and played a variety of TV and film roles before landing his spot in Starsky & Hutch in 1975.
The star continued working throughout the 1980s after Starsky and Hutch went off the air, but he moved to England in the mid-1990s to start a new career as a stage performer on London’s West End.
He gained British citizenship in 2004 and had been living in London with his fifth wife, Helen Snell, since 2010.
Referring to his love of the UK in 2015, he told : ‘Britain is beautiful. I like south Devon a lot, the bleakness of Dartmoor.
‘And I like being in a country steeped in history. I return to the States about three times a year as my five sons all live there, though my daughter lives here.’
He added: ‘When Paul Michael Glaser and I were filming Starsky & Hutch in the 70s, Princess Margaret once came to meet us on the set because she liked the show.
‘We took her to lunch and, suffice to say, we didn’t go back to work in the afternoon. Also we were told the Queen Mother once said, ‘I like those boys so much!’ But I don’t think I’ll ever be Sir David, even though I act like it sometimes!
‘The only person I’d care to call me Sir David is my wife, as I call her Lady Helen!’