David Soul, Starsky & Hutch actor, dies aged 80

Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul has died at the age of 80, his wife Helen Snell has announced.

Soul starred as Hutch in the 1970s US detective TV series, which ran from 1975 to 1979.

He also played officer John David in thriller film Magnum Force in 1973 and Roy Champion in soap opera The Yellow Rose.

In a statement, his wife said the “beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother” died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.

Paying tribute to the actor, Ms Snell added: “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

Before moving into acting Soul was a musician, who sang on The Merv Griffin show and appeared in 1960s’ dolphin series Flipper.

He also acted in various TV series throughout the 60s and 70s, including Star Trek, Perry Mason and Johnny Got His Gun.

Soul got his break starring as officer John Davis in 1971 police movie Magnum Force, about Inspector Harold Callahan, who was played by Clint Eastwood.

He also played nostalgic writer Ben Mears in 1979 Stephen King adaptation Salem’s Lot.

Soul also enjoyed a short stint as a pop star in the 70s, in which he achieved a number one hit in the US and UK with ballad Don’t Give Up On Us Baby in 1976.

The actor was born in 1943 in Chicago, Illinois in the US, and spent the early years of his life living in South Dakota and Berlin, Germany.

His father Dr Richard Solberg, a professor of history and political science and an ordained minister, moved them to Berlin where he was a religious affairs adviser to the US high commission.

After moving to the UK in the 1990s, he appeared in a series of shows in London’s West End and later in BBC shows Holby City and Little Britain.

Speaking of his love of the UK in 2015, he told MailOnline: ‘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.’

Additional reporting by Press Association.

This is a breaking news story and is being updated.