In a statement to press, Soul’s wife Helen Snell said he died “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,” said Snell. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”
Soul (pictured) played the role of Hutch opposite Paul Michael Glaser on the ABC series from 1975 through 1979. The buddy cop series became a touchstone for the generation and is fondly remembered even today for the star duo's easy-going camaraderie , the light-hearted antics that were a hallmark of 1970s police dramas and, of course, the car: a red 1976 Ford Gran Torino with a distinctive white stripe stretching from one side of the vehicle to the other.
The American-British Soul also had major roles in Here Come the Brides, a late 1960s comedy-drama series inspired by the classic Hollywood musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force.
Soul was born on August 28, 1943 in Chicago and began performing as a stage actor in the mid-1960s. First he got a role on The Merv Griffin Show and then on Star Trek.
He caught the attention of Clint Eastwood, who cast him in his film Magnum Force, and Starsky & Hutch soon followed. The phenomenally successful television series saw him and his detective partner take on criminals every week and attracted worldwide attention. Soul was featured in the film's remake 20 years ago, and a reboot of the series is currently in the works under The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise writer-director James Gunn.
Following the end of Starsky & Hutch - which was labeled by one watchdog as the most violent series on television at the time - Soul starred in the CBS miniseries Salem's Lot in 1979 and in The Key to Rebecca in 1985, in addition to television series such as NBC's Casablanca and The Yellow Rose.
He also had a successful singing career, scoring a No. 1 hit with Don't Give Up on Us in 1977, which was his only US hit. He had four other hits in the UK, including chart-topper Silver Lady.
He later became a British national and played roles in British detective series such as Agatha Christie's Poirot, Dalziel and Pascoe and Lewis.
Less than two weeks ago, Soul posted a Christmas message on X/Twitter, wishing fans well and looking back wryly on the fiftieth anniversary of Eastwood's Magnum Force:
“Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year to you and yours!
Warner Bros. decided that Christmas would be the perfect time to release its version of how to keep peace in the world: MAGNUM FORCE premiered on this day 50 years ago. Peace, in the form of curbstone justice. I’m not sure much has changed since then.
I’m actually embarrassed to tell you that (but it was a job and it landed me a little role in ‘Starsky & Hutch’ so I’m not complaining)…
Meanwhile, may there be peace throughout this troubled world on this and every day. MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE. Love your neighbor like you give a damn.”