(WJW) – Actor David Soul, best known for his role in the TV series “Starsky & Hutch,” has died at the age of 80.

The Daily Mail reported that his wife, Helen Snell, confirmed the news in a statement.

“’David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday 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,” the statement read.

David Soul is photographed at an event in Los Angeles on Dec. 6, 1983. Soul, who hit fame as half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky and Hutch” in the popular 1970s television series, has died. He was 80. (AP Photo/Wally Fong, File)

Soul got his big break when he was cast as Detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside Paul Michael Glaser’s Detective Dave Starsky.

“Starsky and Hutch” aired from 1975 to 1979 on ABC and grew so popular it spawned a host of children’s toys.

Soul appeared on several other shows, including “Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law” and “The Yellow Rose.”

Soul also had several hit singles in the 1970s, including “Don’t Give Up on Us.”

  • LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: David Soul attends the Vina Carmen Cigar Smoker Of The Year Awards 2019 founded by Boisdale at Boisdale of Canary Wharf on December 02, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
  • Unspecified – 1977: David Soul appearing on the ABC tv special ‘David Soul and Friends’. (Photo by Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
  • David Soul during Cannes 1996 – David Soul – File Photos in Cannes, France. (Photo by Toni Anne Barson Archive/WireImage)
  • UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of David SOUL; Posed studio portrait of David Soul (Photo by RB/Redferns)

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 “The Dead Monkey,” 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 “Jerry Springer – The Opera” in London’s West End.

Soul and Glaser had cameos in the 2004 big-screen remake of “Starsky & Hutch,” starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch.

No cause of death has been released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.