David Soul, Iconic ‘Starsky & Hutch’ Star, Dies At 80

• At the age of 80, David Soul passed away on January 4.
• Soul was known for his role as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in ‘Starsky & Hutch.’
• Soul had been contending with cancer and pulmonary disease in the years leading up to his death.

On January 4, actor David Soul passed away. News of his death came from a family statement shared by Soul’s wife Helen Snell on Friday. He was 80 when he died. In recent years, Soul had been suffering from cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. But, his family shared, he always maintained his unique sense of humor.

In a career spanning over five decades, Soul gained renewed fame as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in ABC’s Starsky & Hutch, acting opposite Paul Michael Glaser as Detective Dave Starsky. Other notable credits include a leading role in Salem’s Lot, along with Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides and Officer John Davis in Magnum Force.

Family, friends, and colleagues mourn the passing of David Soul

“David Soul—beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother—died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” reads the statement by Soul’s 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.”

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After hearing the news, his co-star, Glaser, shared his own words remembering and mourning Soul. “David was a brother, a friend, a caring man,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE. “We shall never see his like again.”

He went on, “I find it difficult to comprehend David’s passing. Seems only yesterday that we were sharing loving insults on the phone. It just takes time, I tell myself; saying goodbye to such a dear friend and important part of my life I suspect that I will let myself feel his loss, our loss, only gradually.”

The life and career of David Soul

Soul was born as David Richard Solberg on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. He became a founding member of Minniapolis’s Firehouse Theater and traveled with the company to New York City in 1963. Besides Starsky & Hutch, Soul gained national attention thanks not just to his acting but also his musical prowess. In 1967, he made a memorable appearance on The Merv Griffin Show as the Covered Man, a singer garbed in a ski mask.

This helped him transition into the family-friendly Flipper, and from there, mainstream television as Detective Hutch. Many more television credits rolled in, including Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, All in the Family, and many more.

Married five times, Soul is survived by his wife Helen, as well as five sons and a daughter. Rest in peace, Detective.