Beloved Starsky & Hutch Star, David Soul, Passes Away at Age 80

David Soul, best known for his role in the popular 1970s television series "Starsky & Hutch" has died, his wife announced in a statement on Souls website.

He was 80.

David Soul, a cherished husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away yesterday (4 January) after a courageous fight for his life surrounded by loved ones," expressed his wife, Helen Snell. "As an actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist, and close friend, he shared countless remarkable talents with the world. The memory of his smile, laughter, and zest for life will live on in the hearts of those whose lives he has impacted."

CNN has contacted representatives for Soul for additional statements.

David Soul plays the role of the intellectual Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson, while Paul Michael Glaser portrays the streetwise David Starsky in "Starsky & Hutch."

Richard Solberg, the father of the man who would later become a star, was not only a professor of history and political science but also an ordained minister. The family moved to Berlin, where the elder Solberg held positions as a religious affairs advisor to the US High Commission and as a senior representative for the Lutheran World Federation, a refugee relief organization.

The young man had a strong passion for sports, particularly baseball. After graduating from high school, at the age of 18, he was offered a contract to play with the Chicago White Sox.

Instead of continuing with his second year of college, he chose to join his family in Mexico City. His father had taken a job teaching at Collegio American. It was there that he picked up the Spanish language and stumbled into the entertainment industry.

The students who were part of a movement to eliminate corruption in Mexico gifted him a guitar and taught him indigenous songs. Upon his return to the Midwest, he found a job singing folk music at the Ten O'Clock Scholar, a University of Minnesota coffee house frequented by artists like Bob Dylan. His ability to sing Mexican folk songs despite being a "blond, blue-eyed Norwegian" helped him secure the gig, as stated on his website.

Married at 21 with a child to support, he had a falling out with a friend who was an actor and also had a romantic interest in Solberg's wife. After a confrontation with that friend left the actor unable to appear in a play, Solberg stepped in and took over the role.

Shortly after separating from his wife, he changed his last name to "Soul" and started performing as "The Covered Man." He sent a photo of himself as "The Covered Man" and an audition tape to the William Morris talent agency, and was signed without even meeting them.

In the 1960s, he made a name for himself with his television roles in "I Dream of Jeannie," "Star Trek," and "Flipper," which eventually landed him the starring role of Joshua Bolt in the series "Here Come the Brides." Though he is best known for "Starsky & Hutch," Soul also appeared in the Dirty Harry film "Magnum Force," a role that he credits for leading to his success on the hit show.

Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.