Starsky & Hutch star David Soul dies at 80: Actor who achieved cult status for 1970s TV series and topped the charts with hit 'Don't Give Up On Us' dies after 'brave battle for life' ' – as his heartbroken wife leads tributes
<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
David Soul, who gained cult status for his role in the 1970s TV series Starsky & Hutch before topping the charts with his hit 'Don't Give Up On Us', has died aged 80.
His heartbroken wife Helen Snell said the British-American star had died surrounded by his family after a 'brave battle for life'.
She said in a statement: 'David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a brave struggle for life in the loving company of family.
“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as an actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend.
“His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he 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 from 1975 to 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 fictional Bay City, California in a bright red Gran Torino, with Antonio Fargas as their informant, Huggy Bear.
Soul also enjoyed a short-lived pop career, scoring a number one hit in the US and Britain in 1976 with the catchy ballad Don't Give Up On Us Baby.
Other chart hits would follow in 1977, with the singles Going In With My Eyes Open and Silver Lady, but Soul's foray as a singer would end twelve 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 in the Dirty Harry sequel The Enforcer and starring as nostalgic writer Ben Mears in 1979 Stephen King adaptation Salem's Lot.
The actor lived in London with his PR wife Helen Snell, his fifth marriage, after they met while touring Britain with an Ira Levin stage production of the play Deathtrap in 2002.
Referring to his love for Britain in 2015, he told MailOnline: 'Britain is beautiful. I really like South Devon, the bleakness of Dartmoor.
'And I like being in a country that is steeped in history. I return to the United States about three times a year as my five sons all live there, while my daughter lives here.”
He added: “When Paul Michael Glaser and I were filming Starsky & Hutch in the 1970s, Princess Margaret came to meet us on set once because she liked the show.
“We took her out to lunch and, suffice it to say, we didn't go back to work in the afternoon. We were also told that the Queen Mother once said: 'I like those boys so much!' But I don't think I'll ever be Sir David, even if I act like one sometimes!
'The only person I would like to call Sir David is my wife, as I call her Lady Helen!'