Glen Larson, father of Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider, dies at 77

Sad news for fans of hit 1970s and 1980s sci-fi and action shows such as "Battlestar Galactica," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "The Fall Guy" and "Knight Rider" – Glen A. Larson, the father of these shows, has passed on at 77.

Larson, who also created Quincy M.E. and Magnum, P.I., died Friday night of esophageal cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, The Hollywood Reporter quoted his son James as saying.

"If you’re counting, Quincy, Magnum, Knight Rider and Fall Guy accounted for 513 hours of television and 21 combined seasons from 1976-88," THR said.

He is survived by wife Jeannie, brother Kenneth and nine children including his son James from former wives Carol Gourley and Janet Curtis: Kimberly, Christopher, Glen, Michelle, David, Caroline, Danielle and Nicole, THR reported.

James said a memorial service will be held in the near future.

Fans at an enthusiast site for "Knight Rider" mourned Larson's passing.

Larson was born Jan. 3, 1937, in Long Beach, California.

"He and his parents moved to Los Angeles when he was young, and he became enthralled with the art of storytelling while listening to hour after hour of radio shows," THR said.

He was a singer in the 1950s pop group The Four Preps, which composed many of the theme songs for his TV shows.

Larson also worked on "It Takes a Thief" and "McCloud," THR said.

In the 1970s, Larson rewrote an initially rejected pilot for "The Six Million Dollar Man" and got network executives to approve the action series.

That hit series starred Lee Majors as a former astronaut enhanced with bionic implants.

At Universal Studios, Larson invented or reworked shows then moved to 20th Century Fox in 1980.

He created Quincy M.E. with Lou Shaw, with THR describing the show as a forerunner to “forensic” dramas as CSI.

Magnum, P.I., starring Tom Selleck, was co-created by Larson and Donald Bellisario.

Knight Rider featured David Hasselhoff as a crusading crimefighter with a smart car K.I.T.T., voiced by William Daniels, as his sidekick.

The Fall Guy starred Lee Majors as a stuntman moonlighting as a bounty hunter.

Other series he created included Manimal, Trauma Center, Automan Masquerade and Cover-Up, but they were canceled.

On the other hand, Larson was also criticized for supposedly borrowing concepts from movies for his TV shows, with critics claiming his shows were "knockoffs" of movies.

In July 2011, Larson sued Universal Studios claiming it never sent him profit participation statements even if his shows earned millions.

In 2004, he reunited with The Four Preps for a PBS reunion show, Magic Moments. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News