David Soul's “Starsky & Hutch ”Costar Paul Michael Glaser Mourns the Loss of 'a Brother, a Friend, a Caring Man' (Exclusive)

“We have all lost a dear friend who shall live on in our memories," shared Glaser

Paul Michael Glaser is remembering his Starsky & Hutch costar David Soul following his death earlier this week.

“David was a brother, a friend, a caring man,” Glaser shares exclusively with PEOPLE. "We shall never see his like again.”

"I find it difficult to comprehend David's passing. Seems only yesterday that we were sharing loving insults on the phone,” the actor, 80, tells PEOPLE.

“It just takes time, I tell myself; saying goodbye to such a dear friend and important part of my life I suspect that I will let myself feel his loss, our loss, only gradually.”

Related: David Soul, 'Beloved' Starsky & Hutch Actor, Dead at 80

“I want to extend my condolences to dear Helen, whom he loved and cherished and who stood beside him through these difficult years,” adds the actor. “He could never tell me enough what she meant to him.”

“To all his sons and his daughter China, my deepest sympathies.”

“And to all of you, our supportive and caring public who recognized a very special relationship and never stopped telling us. Thank you,” says the actor. “We have all lost a dear friend who shall live on in our memories.”

The two actors starred in the hit series together from 1975-1979. The ABC show followed two California detectives, Soul as Sergeant Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson, Glaser as Hutch’s partner, and fellow detective David Starsky.

In November, Soul said Glaser “is and will always be my best friend, my brother,” in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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In 2023, news broke of a potential reboot of the cop series starring two female characters as the leads. Soul responded to the reports, questioning why he and his original partner couldn’t be the ones to do the reboot.

"Every article [about a reboot] mentions the 'original' actors by name. So why not just reboot Paul and me—as a couple of old farts solving piddly-ass crimes at the assisted living facility where we would now live? Who can do Starsky and Hutch better than him and me?" he wrote on X.

Glaser replied jokingly, “If you’re going to describe me as an ‘old fart,’ Please leave ‘old’ out of it.”

On Thursday, Soul’s wife of 13 years, Helen Snell, shared in a statement with PEOPLE that the actor died on Wednesday “after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family.” Snell described Soul as a "beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother."

“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” her statement continued. "His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched."

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