Richard Hatch Cause of Death: How Did the Actor Die?

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Richard Hatch. (Getty)

Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, has died at the age of 71, his family says.

Hatch had been battling stage-4 pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his son, Paul, and brother, John. He “died peacefully with his family and friends at his side,” Paul Hatch said in a statement.

Hatch went into hospice care a few weeks ago, TMZ reports.

Alec Peters, the writer and producer of Axanar, a Star Trek fan film in which Hatch played the Klingon captain Khan, said the death came as a surprise, despite Hatch’s poor health.

“3 weeks ago I found out he had stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. We knew he had little time left, but this is quite more sudden than we thought,” Peters said. “Richard was in good spirits when I visited him 2 weeks ago. He knew his time was short, but was comforted by the fact that his son would be taken care of.”

His starring role in 1978 in Battlestar Galactica earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He later played Tom Zarek in a 2003 remake of the show.

“In spite of significant roles in other series and motion pictures over the following decades, his connection with the original Battlestar as well as the remake, created an international following among science fiction fans,” Paul Hatch said. “While continuing his acting career Richard was a popular figure at Comic Book conventions, science fiction forums and even hosted his own cruise ship events.”

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Richard Hatch in 2003. (Getty)

Hatch was born May 21, 1945, in Santa Monica, California. He began is acting career on the stage, at the Los Angeles Repertory Theater as well as in Chicago and in off-Broadway shows.

In 1970, Hatch made his first TV appearance, on the soap opera All My Children. He appeared on the show for two years. He then made several guest appearances on shows including Cannon, Naki, Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, and The Waltons, along with roles in made-for-TV movies like The Hatfields and McCoys, King of Hearts, Last of the Belles and Deadman’s Curve.

His first major TV role was in 1976, when he replaced Michael Douglas on the detective series Streets of San Francisco.

After Battlestar Galactica, Hatch continued to appear on TV, including on shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Baywatch, Dynasty and McGyver.

Hatch was also an acting coach in his later years, holding workshops in Los Angeles.

Tributes to him flowed in from former castmates and friends on Twitter: