David Soul—beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother—passed away on January 4, 2024, 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.
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749 Responses
I’m devestated. David was a big part of my early teen years. Impressionable, excited, young love….. such a happy time for me.
I’ll be forever grateful that the girl I was back then helped me become the woman I am today.
So with a heavy heart and a tear shed it’s time to say thank you and goodnight. Sleep tight.
Sorry to hear that Mr.Soul has passed. My condolences. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr.Soul on the phone several years ago. He called my place of employment regarding a business matter and all i can say is that he was a true gentleman. He did not know me personally but he spoke to me with respect and a certain kindness. He made a lasting impression on me even though our dialogue only lasted a couple of minutes. For years now I tell people about when I spoke with David Soul and what a really cool guy he was to me. Would have loved to have met him..
Once again i send my condolences.
Respectfully,
RMB
It breaks my heart that David is no longer with us. He was such an amazing and kind man. He has influenced my life in many ways. I learned guitar because I was inspired by his beautiful playing. Appreciated poetry for the first time with his Pablo Neruda readings. Learned true friendship with his role of Hutch, and in his relationship with Paul. The world was blessed with his presence for 80 years, so passionate about his causes and beliefs. He will be missed and always remembered. What a better place the world would be if everyone was like him. RiP dear David.
So sad to hear of David passing away. Some of my earliest memories is of watching David in Starsky and Hutch. He was such a talented actor and was part of the best television duo in history. Thank you for the great memories. My condolences to the family and friends.
I live in Barcelona – Spain, you will always be present for me through your songs and your television series.
Rest in peace
I was deeply saddened to hear that David had sadly passed away. He has been a part of my life for many years thanks to his wonderful work in film, television and music. Some artists touch your soul in ways that cannot be expressed in mere words and David was definitely one of those people. I had the good fortune of meeting David one time when he listened to some songs I’d written with him in possibly singing in mind. He gave some wonderful advice that helped shape everything I’ve written since.
I’d like to share my respect and express my admiration for a truly great man. Thank You David, I’ll never forget you. I hope that the generations that follow discover the huge body of work that you’ve left us as the treasures within will enrich their lives.
My deepest sympathy to David’s family. I always liked David. I loved ‘Starsky and Hutch’ and David ( Hutch) was my favourite, I also have his albums. May David rest in peace. So sad to hear of his passing.
ACROSTICALLY…. SPEAKING
By Margaret E. Franklin
(As seen through my eyes & heart; for all fans; rewritten in remembrance)
David, you were—-
Dedicated to your crafts, your charities, your beliefs
Authentic in your kindness, your empathy, your compassion
Visionary- you saw a world full of love, unity and peace
Innovative in your thoughts; your actions backed that up
Deliciously handsome, even as you aged (I’m thankful for the images of you that will live on)
Resilient- you’ve had several injuries, health issues, life issues, yet-
bounced back after each setback- NOW- you’re free from them all
Intuitive, you seemed to sense how we were doing and encouraged us thusly
Charitable, your benevolence and moral values, learned in your childhood,
still help the many less fortunate today
Humorous, you were so funny. You served up wisecracks, quips, banter and
you even laughed at yourself
Artistic, you shared your many talents with us- singing, acting, painting,
guitar/piano playing; so glad evidence of your artistry will continue to exist
for our enjoyment
Refreshing, your words were like a breath of fresh air or a taste of cold spring water.
They gave us life! We looked forward to every one of your posts/tweets.
We will truly miss hearing from you
Devoted to your family, your friends, and especially to your fans
Sincere, spiritual- you respected the feelings and emotions of everyone
Our hero- we loved you for your brilliance, your tolerance and your humanity
Uniquely yourself- you learned who you were; you were open and real
Leader- you showed us by example, how to be humble and humane
David Richard Soul, you were someone we could exemplify and emulate. Through the good and the bad days, through the ups and the downs, you found your true self, and showed us that we, too, could be honest, caring and authentically ourselves. We shall never forget you or your life lessons. Your final lesson was, “Love your neighbor like you give a damn!” We shall do just that. Rest well, dear David…. FOREVER “OUR HUTCH”.
DAVID R. SOUL (Solberg)
AUGUST 28, 1943 – JANUARY 4, 2024
m.e.f.
07.23.23
rev.8.27.23
rev. 01.06.24
I was so sad to hear of David’s passing. My thoughts and prayers to David’s family and friends (Especially Paul Michael Glaser,) during this very difficult time. As most fans my first time seeing David was on Starsky and Hutch back in 1975 and I have followed him and Paul since I fell in love with both of them while watching them on the screen. My love for both only grew as I got older and I wish I could of had the chance to meet David as I have friends how have met him and talk about how wonderful he was. Again I just want those closest to David to know how much he was loved by all his fans. RIP Mr. David Soul.
I cannot put into words the deep sadness I feel over David’s passing. As a younger fan, born in the 80s, I didn’t have the privilege and joy of experiencing your talents first time round but I am a second generation fan who who was introduced to Starsky and Hutch when I was 16, and fell in love with the show instantly. I was always a Hutch girl and it was through this great show that I discovered David’s music and became an instant fan. He has been my favourite singer since and as a singer myself I think what I really connected with was his deep love for music. David was the one who inspired me to learn guitar. I have often been described as an ‘old soul’. It is a running joke in my family that I was born after my own time. It’s tough sometimes because many people my own age had never heard of David and those older often told me I was too old to know who he was, but I know there will be other ‘younger’ fans out there who appreciated and loved David as much as I do. Love for David spans the generations! As painful as it is for us as fans though, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, who knew him the best, loved him the most, and will be feeling his loss most of all. I am trying really hard not to be too sad right now, but instead be grateful for the fact we were blessed with him in this world. It’s not easy. I have been listening to his music as much as I can manage the past few days but the one that has been playing inside my head above all others is ‘Dance with Life’ especially the line ‘We need to dance with life, and leave a brilliant light behind.’ David certainly did that! Words can never convey how much he meant to me, how much love I had for him and how much he inspired me, so I’m not even going to try. All I will say is thank you David. Your legacy will be how loved you are by so many people!
David Soul has contributed so much to the world; he will be missed by family, friends, and his multitude of fans around the world. I won’t forget the lovely Christmas message he sent last year from his garden room: warm, loving, and with a twinkle in his eyes.RIP.
The news of Mr. Soul’s passing has been heart wrenching. He shared so much talent with the world for so long. As a fan, I was devastated. I can only imagine how it has been for his family and close friends. You have my sincere and heart felt condolences.
I was crushed when I heard the news of David’s passing. He was my first and only crush on a celebrity. I grew up watching Starsky and Hutch, the Covered Man, and all the movies he was in, like Magnum Force, In the Line of Duty, etc. And as far as I know, I have all the songs he ever sang. I watched the movie remake of S&H, just to see his cameo at the end.
As a teenager, he left such an impression on me that my two sons are named after his song Kristofer David. He sang about love being the most important thing in life, and I hope the next generation will hear his songs and understand the lesson he offered. I thank him for what he taught me.
Rest In Peace handsome!
I would like to express my sincere, heartfelt condolences to all of David’s family and friends who loved him well. You have lost someone so dear to you. Thank you for loaning him to us for a little while. I feel like I have lost a friend I hadn’t realised I had.
David had that wonderful ability to make any person feel that he was interested in them. Every fan story is filled with his kindness and his ability to connect on a fundamental level. Every message that he recorded seemed to be aimed at each one of us individually and was always filled with hope and so uplifting.
I am grateful that I fell totally in love again with Hutch (and also David) in 2019 and discovered the joys of Facebook at the same time. There I connected with fans who introduced me to many songs and films that I had missed over the years and that I have been making my way through. David was such a fine actor – he gave his all to every role and his goal was emotional truth whether it was a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ character he was portraying.
David introduced me to the poetry of Pablo Neruda for which I am very grateful and extended my musical knowledge through his lovely broadcasts on Boogaloo Radio – I shall enjoy listening to those again as soon as the raw emotions of loss fade a little.
Inspired by both Hutch & Starsky’s and David & Paul’s friendship and all things me and thee, I re-entered the world of writing in 2020. If David hadn’t made the episode ‘Gillian’ so wonderfully moving to watch, I might never have written a poem called ‘Broken’ that released something in me and helped me write down my experience of loss, which I have published and I believe is of help to people who have read it. I feel like my writing journey owes a lot to David and I will be forever grateful.
Dearest Helen (and Laura and Lisa of Team Soul) thank you for loving David, thank you for giving him such a happy time these last few years and for helping him achieve so many of his passions. He was very proud of you and loved you dearly. David will always be with you in your memories of him and in the love that still lives in your hearts. I wish you God’s comfort and peace as you travel along the winding and sometimes circular road of loss. Be kind to yourselves and each other and be assured of our love and loyalty.
With all the best wishes in my heart
Caroline (Gilpin-Perkins)
Hearing about David Soul passing was a sad blow to me. He was a big part of my childhood memory. I was a big fan of Starsky and Hutch and great admirer of his other works in television and movies. My condolences to his family and friends. David Soul is now part of the television landscape for generations to come. Will be sorely miss.