Actor David Soul, who earned fame as the blond half of crime-fighting duo B次元官网网址淪tarsky & HutchB次元官网网址� in the popular 1970s series, has died at the age of 80.

His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that B次元官网网址淒avid Soul B次元官网网址� beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother B次元官网网址� died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淗e shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,B次元官网网址� she said in a statement. B次元官网网址淗is smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.B次元官网网址�

Soul portrayed detective Ken B次元官网网址淗utchB次元官网网址� Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser as detective David Starsky in B次元官网网址淪tarsky & Hutch.B次元官网网址� It ran on ABC between 1975 and 1979, and grew so popular it spawned a host of childrenB次元官网网址檚 toys.

At the height of his fame, Soul also hit the music charts with the single B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 Give Up on Us.B次元官网网址�

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 B次元官网网址淭he Dead Monkey,B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址淛erry Springer - The OperaB次元官网网址� in LondonB次元官网网址檚 West End.

Soul and Glaser had cameos in the 2004 big-screen remake of B次元官网网址淪tarsky & Hutch,B次元官网网址� starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.