David Soul, TV's Hutch, Dies at 80 After 'Valiant Battle for Life'

David Soul, one half of TV's iconic detective duo on "Starsky & Hutch," died Thursday after what his wife Helen Snell called "a valiant battle for life."

He was 80.

Snell, the actor-singer's fifth wife, told the BBC Soul died "in the loving company of family," saying, "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."

Soul was born August 28, 1943, in Chicago. Moving around a lot as a kid, he gravitated to the guitar as a constant, and initially intended to seek a career as a singer.

In 1966, he appeared on "The Merv Griffin Show" with a mask over his handsome face, saying dramatically, "I am the covered man... My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music." He was the original Masked Singer, but the gimmick failed.

Soul moved into acting, appearing on a variety of series, including "The Lloyd Thaxton Show" (1966), "Flipper" (1967), "Star Trek" (1967), and "I Dream of Jeannie" (1967).

He was a regular on "Here Come the Brides" (1968-1970) and appeared in the films "The Secret Sharer" (1967), "Johnny Got His Gun" (1971), and "Magnum Force" (1973).

In 1975, he was cast as Det. Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson opposite Paul Michael Glaser, who became his lifelong friend, as Det. Dave Starsky, on the buddy detective show "Starsky & Hutch." Running for four seasons, the series' popularity was so intense he wound up in teen magazines and got a second shot at singing.

In 1977, he enjoyed an international hit with the song "Don't Give Up on Us," which hit no. 1 in the U.S. for a week. The revival of interest in his music led to several years worth of recording and touring, and produced several hits in the U.K., most notably the 1977 no. 1 "Silver Lady."

After "Starsky & Hutch" was canceled, Soul continued acting, mostly on TV. His greatest success came as the star of the horror miniseries "Salem's Lot" (1979), adapted for TV from Stephen King's best seller.

Along with many made-for-TV movies, Soul played Rick on a short-lived series based on the classic film "Casablanca" in 1983, was a regular on the western series "The Yellow Rose" (1983-1984), and played a forensic expert slightly ahead of that trend on the series "Unsub" in 1989.

His film career included "The Stick Up" (1977), "Dogpound Shuffle" (1979), "Blood Debts" (1985), "The Hanoi Hilton" (1987), "Appointment with Death" (1988), "Tabloid" (2001), "Farewell" (2010), and "Filth" (2013).

In 2004, he and Glaser briefly reprised their roles for the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson movie spoof of "Starsky & Hutch."

In the '80s, Soul was arrested for attacking his pregnant wife, Patti Carnel Sherman, the ex-wife of teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman. He later expressed regret over the incident and met with inmates jailed for domestic abuse.

He is survived by his fifth wife, Helen, and by his six children, including singer-songwriter China Soul.