Vale: Jan-Michael Vincent

US actor Jan-Michael Vincent, best known for Airwolf and Big Wednesday, has died, aged 73.

One considered a Hollywood hunk, he died on February 10 after suffering cardiac arrest, but his death has only now come to light through media reports.

Vincent’s acting career began in 1967, when he was spotted by a talent scout His first film was the Robert Conrad movie The Bandits. Other films included The Undefeated, Going Home, The Mechanic, Bite the Bullet, Buster and Billie, Big Wednesday, Hooper, Buffalo ’66 and Damnation Alley.

In 1984, Vincent was cast as the daring pilot Stringfellow “String” Hawke in Airwolf. The series ran for 3 years, making him one of the highest-paid actors in American television. Other TV credits included Nash Bridges, Renegade, Hotel, and the short-lived Airwolf II

But he also sought help for drug and alcohol problems, and was forced to pay over $350,000 as part of a default judgment made against him, after he physically assaulted a former girlfriend, causing her to miscarry their child. He was sentenced to 60 days in prison that same year for violating his probation for prior alcohol-related arrests by appearing drunk in public and assaulting his fiancée and in 2012 he had his lower leg amputated after an illness.

Source: Variety