Bach-Hasselhoff, Pamela, passed away.
The former Baywatch actress, who has daughters Taylor and Hayley with her ex-husband David Hasselhoff, was pronounced dead at her California home on Wednesday night, March 5, at the age of 61, following reports that she had committed herself.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that shortly after 10 p.m., medics were contacted in response to a report of an unconscious woman, and family members wanted to check on Pamela out of concern after not hearing from her.
Pamela self-inflicted a gunshot wound to her head and was declared dead at the spot. She didn’t leave a note, the outlet said.
The news “deeply saddened” David, who married the actress from 1989 until 2006 and married Hayley Roberts in 2018, according to the statement.
In a statement, he told TMZ: “The recent loss of Pamela Hasselhoff is very devastating for our family. While we appreciate the abundance of love and support at this trying time, we respectfully ask for privacy while we grieve and work through this tough period.”
Pamela debuted in the film Rumblefish in 1983. She has starred in television shows such as Sirens, The Young and the Restless, The Fall Guy, TJ Hooker, and Baywatch for ten years with her then-husband David.
David and Pamela’s divorce was acrimonious and they were still resolving issues about spousal support in 2017.
At that time, the 72-year-old actor requested the monthly sums he paid out to his ex-wife be reduced from US$10,000 (S$13,000) to zero but they ultimately agreed on US$5,000 per month.
David had filed documents requesting an immediate end to his alimony payments, pointing out his ex-wife had shown “failure to make any efforts to become self-supporting, contribute to her own support, or even make any efforts to gain job skills”.
He also cited his own reduced income, which previously saw the payments reduced from US$21,000 a month.
However, she later hit back and in her legal documents argued she had made “good faith and reasonable efforts” to secure work as an actress, but given her age, “the current market for actresses” and the time she took out to raise her family, hadn’t been successful.
She claimed that while David still earns about US$1 million year, she spent her peak earning years caring for their home and raising their girls so he could focus on his own job.
She received US$325,000 from their property, while he kept the house, a yacht, jet skis, and two trusts with substantial assets. Her legal records also claimed that her ex-husband had neglected to provide her US$1 million to balance the division of their assets upon their divorce.