TV producer Glen Larson whose hits included Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider dies aged 77 from throat cancer Glen Larson, 77, died from esophageal cancer at hospital on Friday night Married father-of-nine's hits were some of the biggest series of 1970s/80s Included Battlestar Galactica, Magnum P.I, Quincy M.E. and Knight Rider Larson was also an accomplished singer; formerly part of The Four Preps On Saturday, industry professionals paid their respects to him via Twitter Memorial service for Larson will be held in the near future, son James said Television producer and writer Glen Larson, whose hits included some of the biggest series of the 1970s and 80s, including Battlestar Galactica and Magnum P.I., has died aged 77. Larson, who was also responsible for Quincy M.E. and Knight Rider, passed away from esophageal cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, on Friday night, his son, James, said. On Saturday, dozens of industry professionals took to Twitter to express their grief at the death of the married father-of-nine, described by many as a 'creative' and 'inspirational' man. Actor and director Edward James Olmos, who played William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica in the 2000s, tweeted: 'Glen Larson, we thank you for the ride, you are a battlestar.' Successful: Television producer and writer Glen Larson (pictured), whose hits included some of the biggest series of the 1970s and 80s, has passed away aged 77 from esophageal cancer, according to his son James Popular: Larson's show Battlestar Galactica (pictured) - for which he was given a then-unprecedented $1million-per-episode budget - lasted just one season on ABC from 1978-79, yet the impact was incredible Paying tribute: On Saturday, dozens of industry members took to Twitter to express their grief at the death of the married father-of-nine. Actor and director Edward James Olmos tweeted: 'We thank you for the ride' Meanwhile, screenwriter Steven de Souza wrote: 'RIP #GlenLarson, one of my 1st bosses in Hollywood, I really took off the training wheels under his tutelage, as did many others.' And producer Jesse Stern said: 'RIP Glen Larson. Thank you so much. Magnum, The Fall Guy, Sheriff Lobo, BJ McKay and his best friend Bear, Manimal. I loved you. 276 shares Born in in Long Beach in 1937, Larson started in the business in the 1950s as a singer in the clean-cut pop group The Four Preps, which later composed a number of the theme songs in his TV shows. After first becoming enthralled with storytelling as a child, he then went on to work for Quinn Martin Sr on several productions, including The Fugitive, on which he gained his first credit as a writer in 1966. Saying thanks: Producer Jesse Stern. who has worked on Call of Duty, wrote: 'RIP Glen Larson. I loved you Expressing his sadness: Meanwhile, screenwriter Steven de Souza said: RIP #GlenLarson, one of my 1st bosses in Hollywood, I really took off the training wheels under his tutelage, as did many others Hospital: Larson passed away at UCLA Medical Center (pictured) in Santa Monica, California, his son said In following years, he produced a number of popular shows, including ABC's It Takes a Thief, which starred his fellow Hollywood High School alum Robert Wagner as a burglar for the U.S. Government. He also took it upon himself to rewrite the original pilot for The Six Million Dollar Man - based on the 1972 novel, Cyborg - after ABC initially spurned it. The pilot, alongside scripts for a pair of 90-minute telefilms, convinced then-network executive Barry Diller to greenlight the action series, starring Lee Majors as a former astronaut with bionic implants. During his long-running career, Larson also created NBC's McCloud, Alias Smith & Jones, B.J. and The Bear, Switch (another series starring Wagner), Manimal and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. Creative: Born in in Long Beach in 1937, Larson (pictured) first became enthralled with storytelling as a child Pop group: Larson started in the business in the 1950s as a singer in the clean-cut pop group The Four Preps (pictured, Larson is second on right), which later composed a number of the theme songs in his TV shows His show Battlestar Galactica - for which he was given a then-unprecedented $1million-per-episode budget - lasted just one season on ABC from 1978-79, yet the impact was incredible. The science-fiction series, featuring Lorne Greene and Richard Hatch as leaders of a homeless fleet wandering through space, was greatly influenced by Larson's Mormon beliefs. Although it was axed after 24 episodes due to its cost, in 2003, it was re-imagined and remade, beginning with a three-hour mini-series, followed by a weekly series which ran from 2004 to 2009. Quincy M.E., starring Jack Klugman as an LA-based medical examiner, ran for 148 episodes on NBC from 1976 to 1983, while CBS's Magnum P.I. aired for a whopping eight seasons from 1980 to 1988. One of his creations: Larson's Knight Rider, featuring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight (pictured), a modern crime fighter aided by a Pontiac Trans-Am with artificial intelligence, lasted four seasons on NBC Another show: Quincy M.E., starring Jack Klugman (left) as an LA medical examiner, ran for 148 episodes NBC's Knight Rider, featuring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a modern crime fighter aided by a Pontiac Trans-Am with artificial intelligence, lasted four seasons (90 episodes). And ABC's The Fall Guy, with Lee Majors, Douglas Barr and Heather Thomas, ran for five seasons (113 episodes) from 1981 to 1986. If you believe if something, you must will it through, because everything gets in the way. Everyone tries to steer the ship off course Glen Larson, 2009 interview When asked how he kept up with such a huge workload in 2009, Larson, who left Universal for Fox following his production of Knight Rider, said he attempted to keep every show under control. 'I tried to stay with things until I thought they were on their feet and they learned to walk and talk,' he told the Archive of American Television. Everyone tries to steer the ship off course. But despite his incredible career, Larson never won an Emmy; earning just three nominations, two for his work on McCloud and one for Quincy. However, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. [Our shows] were enjoyable, they had a pretty decent dose of humor. All struck a chord in the mainstream. What we weren't going to do was win a shelf full of Emmys,' he told the news station. Hit: Meanwhile CBS's Magnum P.I. (with Tom Selleck, pictured) aired for eight seasons from 1980 to 1988 We got plenty of nominations for things, but ours were not the kind of shows that were doing anything more than reaching a core audience. Larson is survived by his wife Jannie, brother Kenneth, five daughters and four sons (including his son, James) from his former wives, Carol Gourley and Janet Curtis. A memorial service will be held in the near future, James told The Hollywood Reporter.