Actor David Soul, who earned fame as the blond half of crime-fighting duo ``Starsky & Hutch'' in the popular 1970s television series, has died at the age of 80.
His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that ``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,'' she said in a statement. ``His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.''
Soul portrayed detective Ken ``Hutch'' Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in ``Starsky & Hutch.'' It ran on ABC between 1975 and 1979, and grew so popular it spawned a host of children's toys.
At the height of his fame, Soul also hit the music charts with the single ``Don't Give Up on Us.''
Soul had lived in Britain for many years, performing in several stage roles. In 2001, he won a libel case against a journalist who called ``The Dead Monkey,'' a play that Soul was in, the worst production he had ever seen - without having seen it.
Soul also played the titular talk-show host in ``Jerry Springer - The Opera'' in London's West End.
Soul and Glaser had cameos in the 2004 big-screen remake of ``Starsky & Hutch,'' starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.