According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Richard Hatch has passed away the age of 71. After a long time struggle with pancreatic cancer, Hatch died on Tuesday afternoon. His son, Paul Hatch, was there to support him in his final hours at his home in Santa Clarita, CA.

Most will remember Richard Hatch for his role as Captain Apollo in the seventies television series, “Battlestar Galactica”. Born in Santa Monica, California, Hatch first got his start in acting with roles in off-Broadway theater. One of his first roles was on “All My Children” in 1970, and he continued to work in television ever since. After that, he landed roles in “The Streets of San Francisco”, “Murder She Wrote”, “T.J. Hooker”, “MacGyver” and “Dynasty”. Others might remember his appearances on “The Love Boat”, “Fantasy Island” and “Baywatch”.

In 1979, Richard Hatch was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actor in a television series for his work with “Battlestar Galactica”. Instead of merely playing a role, Hatch was also an avid fan of the Battlestar Galactica series. He wrote seven novels set in the BSG universe, and he was one of the forerunners to help push for a revival of the franchise. In the rebooted series, he appeared in a vastly different role as Tom Zarek from 2004 until 2009.

Hatch was a kind and good-hearted man who will be remembered by many. He often made appearances at conventions to spend time with fans, such as San Diego Comic-Con and DragonCon. Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of Battlestar Galactica tweeted, “Richard Hatch was a good man, a gracious man, and a consummate professional. His passing is a heavy blow to the entire ‘BSG’ family.” Edward James Olmos, who played Admiral William Adama on BSG, also shared his sentiments. “Richard Hatch you made our universe a better place We love you for it. Rest In Peace my friend @SoSayWeAll the Admiral!" Olmos tweeted.

Actress Katee Sackhoff, who played Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, was also devastated by the news. Sackhoff posted an image on Twitter of herself with Hatch, with the message, “Goodbye my friend. See you on the other side. Fuck this hurts. #SoSayWeAll”

In an interview with Galactica.tv in 2008, Richard Hatch was very open with sharing his experience of becoming an actor. “I was very shy and very insecure, and acting, actually, was a way for me to overcome my shyness and overcome maybe some of those emotional places where I was repressed and cut off — because I was embarrassed and held everything inside,” Hatch said. “Acting forces you to get it out, forces you to express those emotions and feelings. I didn’t look at acting as a way to lead me to fame and fortune; I looked at it as a way to overcome some of my life issues. As I went through the acting process and teaching process in classes, it slowly evolved into a profession, and I never expected it to. That was a big surprise to me that I ever winded up on a television screen or a movie screen.” So Say We All… Rest in Peace, Richard Hatch.

Written by Jade Nicolette

Twitter: @nicolette_style