Starsky and Hutch star David Soul's rise to fame, health troubles and money woes

05 January 2024 , 16:43

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Actors David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser of 'Starsky & Hutch' - pictured in 2012 (Image: Getty Images)

David Soul shot to fame as the blonde-haired TV cop in Starsky & Hutch, the 70s cop show based in California that had millions of us glued to our TV screens every week.

The British-American actor and singer, who has died aged 80, may have been best known for his role as Detective Kenneth 'Hutch' Hutchinson, which he played from 1975 to 1979, but it wasn’t his only claim to fame. The late star was often referred to as a ‘hunk’ and almost 50 years on, the sad news that he has died has shocked the world.

Although we don’t yet know the exact cause of his death, his wife released a statement saying: “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday (Thursday 4) 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. His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

In light of his sad death, we take a look at his highs and lows, from his spectacular career to his numerous health struggles and money troubles.

David Soul (left) as the intellectual Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson and Paul Michael Glaser as the streetwise David Starsky (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

David was born in 1943 in Chicago, Illinois in the US and began performing on stage in the mid-60s first gaining attention when he was the Covered Man in The Merv Griffin Show in the late 60s. From here, his career snowballed and he was cast by Clint Eastwood in the movie Magnum Force in 1973 before then making his name as one half of Starsky & Hutch.

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The handsome actor also played Joshua Bolt on Here Comes the Brides between 1968 and 1970 and officer John David in Magnum Force in 1973. As well as acting, he was also a professional singer and had hit songs with Don't Give Up on Us and Silver Lady which both went to number one in the UK charts - Silver Lady even knocked Elvis off the top spot.

Between 1976 and 1978, he had five UK top 20 singles as well as two top 10 UK albums and even toured around the world. During his 80 years, he married five times and leaves behind five sons and one daughter. He met his fifth wife Helen Snell in 2002 on the British production of Deathtrap and gained his British citizenship in 2004.

David Soul was most well known for playing Hutch (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

He loved living in the UK and 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."

Despite his celebrity status, he suffered money troubles and reportedly sold his and Paul Michael Glaser's (Detective Dave Starsky) share of the Starsky & Hutch rights for just $100,000. He left America in 1993 - the year the bank repossessed his LA home - and said having six children from four failed marriages didn’t come cheap. However, he also admitted to a problem with alcohol and said some of his money woes were due to taking on unprofitable documentary work.

In 2017, David was in intensive care for 10 weeks after a general anaesthetic for a hip replacement. Doctors did not expect him to live but he survived another seven years. Over the years, he also suffered other health issues and had cancer removed from his left lung. However, it left him battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease —a life-shortening lung condition he blames on 50 years of smoking up to three packs a day.

Ben Stiller, Paul Michael Glazer, Owen Wilson and David Soul at the Starsky And Hutch remake in 2004 (Getty Images)

In 2009, he opened up to the Daily Express about how he suffered crippling back pain for more than three decades which wasn’t helped by some of his stunt work. "It (stunts) didn't help. I think a lot of the action stuff that I've done in films over the years probably hasn't helped the situation very much.

"Thankfully it's never kept me from working. I've worked through the pain. You have to learn to live with pain. There's a threshold and you can live within that threshold. I'm in pain now, every day of my life I'm in pain. But somehow I can get through it."

David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser reprised their roles in the 2004 remake Starsky & Hutch, starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.

Jackie Annett