Karl Urban, Jamie Bamber and more react to Battlestar Galactica actor Richard Hatch's death

Battlestar Galactica actor Richard Hatch has died, aged 71. Best-known for his roles as Captain Apollo in the original 1978 television series and Tom Zarek in the 2004 reboot, the star "passed away peacefully in Los Angeles, California" on Tuesday 7 February, according to a statement on his website.

"His family and friends [were] at his side after a battle with pancreatic cancer," the release continued, which was signed by his son, Paul.

Having begun his career Off Broadway, Hatch's first small screen acting jobs were in mini-series After Hell, and shortly after, All My Children, when he was 26-years-old. He went on to appear in popular shows such as Hawaii Five-O, The Waltons and The Streets Of San Francisco alongside Michael Douglas.

Following the news, several tributes have been paid to the late actor online from colleagues. Edward James Olmos, who starred alongside Hatch in the Battlestar Galactica re-imagining wrote: "Richard Hatch you made our universe a better place We love you for it. Rest In Peace my friend @SoSayWeAll the Admiral!"

Jamie Bamber, who played Olmos on-screen son in the show said: "Richard Hatch. You leave a huge hole in our BSG family which we will never fill and never try to. #ThankYouCaptainApollo"

Star Trek actor Karl Urban also paid his respects, captioning a photo of Hatch: "Blessed to hang with him once 'Find reasons to say YES in life, it leads to more opportunity' RH."

Other sci-fi professionals who took to Twitter to share their memories included Star Trek and Babylon 5 star Walter Koenig, Independence Day's Mary McDonnell and fellow Battlestar Galactica actor James Callis. Read their tributes in tweets below...