Inside David Hasselhoff and Pamela Bach's wild marriage and ugly divorce that left him 'broke' following her tragic suicide at 62

David Hasselhoff and his ex-wife Pamela Bach had been married for 17 years before their divorce in 2006 – which was followed by spousal support arguments that left the actor ‘broke.’

On Wednesday night, TMZ was first to report that the actress was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 62 inside her $2.2 million Hollywood Hills home. A suicide note was not found at the residence.

The Baywatch star soon broke his silence and a spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday that Pamela’s family was ‘deeply saddened’ by her shock passing.

David and Pamela were married from 1989 until their divorce in 2006 over ‘irreconcilable differences.’ They also welcomed two daughters during the course of their relationship: Taylor, 34, and Hayley, 32.

However following the split, Bach went on to accuse Hasselhoff of domestic abuse and he later stated that he was ‘broke’ after paying $21,000-a-month in payouts to the actress.

DailyMail.com now takes a closer look at the former Hollywood couple’s marriage and contentious split.

David Hasselhoff and his ex-wife Pamela Bach had been married for 17 years before their divorce in 2006 – which was followed by spousal support arguments that left the actor ‘broke’; seen in 2005 in Sydney

1985 – Meeting on set

David and Pamela first crossed paths when she took on a guest-starring role in his hit series Knight Rider in 1985.

However at the time, the pair were in separation relationships – with the actor married to Catherine Hickland and Bach dating a comedian.

David and Pamela first crossed paths when she took on a guest-starring role in his hit series Knight Rider in 1985; seen above in Beverly Hills in 1998

Hasselhoff and Hickland tied the knot in 1984 but their divorce was finalized five years later in 1989.

In his 2006 memoir titled Making Waves, he penned about their first encounter and referenced to the late actress as ‘a beautiful blonde with green eyes.’

David also recalled, ‘We didn’t have any scenes together, but I had seen her on the set and, as a joke, a crew member had sent her an invitation to join me in my trailer.’

But due to Bach being in a relationship with a comedian at the time, the actress had ‘politely ignored the invitation.’

The two later met once again in Las Vegas but were still in other relationships, with David penning his book, ‘I was then married to Catherine and Pamela was still involved with the comedian.’

1988 – Crossing paths again

Three years after they first met on set of Knight Rider, Hasselhoff and Bach crossed paths again. But at that time, they were no longer in separate relationships.

In late 1988, David went to a club opening in Los Angeles – where the actress was also in attendance.

Three years after they first met on set of Knight Rider, Hasselhoff and Bach crossed paths again. But at that time, they were no longer in separate relationships; seen in 1993

In his memoir, the actor remembered: ‘I went to the opening of a club called the Last Tango in Studio City, Sherman Oaks. Pamela was there. “Are you still with the comedian?” “No. Are you still married?” “No.” That night, we talked and talked.’

After the second date, the actor invited Bach to accompany him to Hawaii where he was slated to begin filming the pilot for Baywatch.

‘My plan was to declare my love for her in a suite of the Hilton Hotel on the shores of Waikiki Beach,’ he had written.

‘But she said no. I thought that was cool. She wasn’t in a hurry to jump into bed with me and I respected that.’

Hasselhoff then briefly dated Patricia Lewis but ended the relationship due to him still having feelings for Pamela.

In 1989, the actor and Bach went on a trip to Belgium and when they returned to Los Angeles, they had been ‘very much a couple.’

1989 – Getting married

Later that same year, David and Pamela said ‘I do’ during a private and intimate wedding ceremony in Studio City.

The pair also starred alongside each other in the hit Baywatch series when Bach appeared in a total of 14 episodes.

Later that same year, David and Pamela said ‘I do’ during a private and intimate wedding ceremony in Studio City; seen in 1991 in Beverly Hills

In 1990, the former couple welcomed their first child Taylor and two years later, daughter Hayley was born; seen in 1996 in Hollywood

During a past interview with The Times, the actress shut down speculation that she landed a role on the show due to her husband Hasselhoff already being a star on the series.

‘Just because he’s the star and producer [doesn’t mean that’s how I got the job],’ she told the outlet, per the Los Angeles Times.

‘I know inside myself that I cannot negate the fact that I know my lines, I’m always on time, I’m very professional and never pull any weight on the set. In fact, I go the opposite to make people feel more comfortable. I rely on my own laurels.’

In 1990, the former couple welcomed their first child Taylor and two years later, daughter Hayley was born.

2006 – Contentious divorce begins

After 17 years of marriage, David filed for divorce from Pamela and cited the reason for the separation as ‘irreconcilable differences.’

The pair went through a custody battle over their two children – and eventually each were granted custody of one daughter.

The split became contentious after Bach accused the actor of domestic abuse and in 2007, he also briefly lost visitation rights of his two children for two weeks due to a relapse with his alcohol addiction.

At the time, Hasselhoff was filmed by one of his daughters as he ate a hamburger while intoxicated, per Deadline. His visitation rights resumed once he was sober again.

After 17 years of marriage, David filed for divorce from Pamela and cited the reason for the separation as ‘irreconcilable differences’; seen in 1995 in L.A.

2008 – Comments on split

In 2008, Pamela got candid about how David’s drinking had contributed to the end of their marriage during an interview with DailyMail.com.

At one point, she stated that both she and the actor had been ‘living a lie but the biggest tragedy was that David loved the bottle more than me.’

She later added, ‘David is a falling-down drunk and I covered up for him for years. Alcoholism destroys you whether you are a regular Joe or the biggest star on the planet.’

In 2008, Pamela got candid about how David’s drinking had contributed to the end of their marriage during an interview with DailyMail.com; seen outside of courthouse in L.A. in 2007

In a sworn deposition, she had also claimed Hasselhoff broke her nose during a drunken rage.

However, he slammed the claims and stated, ‘The only person who broke my wife’s nose was her plastic surgeon.’

Pamela explained that when they were first dating, she ‘never really noticed’ how much alcohol the actor would drink.

‘But when we married, it was clear David was drinking a lot. He couldn’t hide it. He is fundamentally unhappy even though there’s no real reason for his unhappiness.’

She added, ‘David wanted to come home from work, have dinner with the children and then relax. I looked after him. He was my baby. I knew he liked a drink at night, so I would set my alarm to get him up in the morning and ready for work by the time the car from the studio arrived.

‘Did I know he had a drinking problem? Yes, probably. But I protected him and our children because that was my job. He provided for us and I saw my role as making his life as easy as possible. I know he loved me.’

‘He’s tried desperately hard to get sober. But he’s an alcoholic. He has a disease, just like cancer. And just like cancer, it ate away at our family from the inside…,’ she said; seen in 1994

Bach later expressed, ‘I don’t want this to be an attack on David. I love him. I always have. He’s a good man.

‘He’s tried desperately hard to get sober. But he’s an alcoholic. He has a disease, just like cancer. And just like cancer, it ate away at our family from the inside…’

Towards the interview, the late actress further commented on their separation and said, ‘I always believed in happy Hollywood endings but our story doesn’t have one. And that’s the truth.’

2016 – Divorce left David ‘broke’

In 2006, David and Pamela officially divorced, but the actor had to pay $21,000-a-month in spousal support to Bach.

In 2016, he stated that the split had left him ‘broke’ and requested the court to end the payouts and said in legal documents at the time that he could no longer afford the payments.

In 2016, he stated that the split had left him ‘broke’ and requested the court to end the payouts and said in legal documents at the time that he could no longer afford the payments; seen in 2022 in Germany

When he filed the papers, he was making $112K each month but would spend half of that amount monthly while another portion would go to his ex-wife.

David also claimed at the time that he only had around $4,000 in his bank account.

The spousal support payments were slashed down to $10,000-a-month, and later went down to $5,000 which he paid from 2017 through 2020.

Despite his financial situation, Hasselhoff told Entertainment Tonight in 2016, ‘It’s not about how much money you have, it’s how you live life. I’m not going to change my lifestyle no matter what. Sometimes you’re up. Sometimes you’re down.’

He also added, ‘I was laughing about all these people who made money and lost it, and I was saying, “How could that happen to them?” All of a sudden, I woke up one morning and said, “Oh, I realize now!”‘

2017 – Pamela firing back

In 2017, Bach fired back at her ex-husband after he requested to slash the spousal support payments and also suggested that she find work as an actress.

She stated in legal documents that it was not easy to find jobs as an older actress ‘in the current market,’ per TMZ at the time.

In 2017, Bach fired back at her ex-husband after he requested to slash the spousal support payments and also suggested that she find work as an actress

Pamela added that she has made ‘good faith and reasonable efforts’ to finding work in the industry.

The late actress claimed that both her age and time off of work while raising their children made it difficult for her to get cast in projects.

March 5, 2025

On Wednesday, Bach was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside her $2.2 million home in the Hollywood Hills.

She is survived by her daughters as well as a grandchild named London.

David broke his silence on Pamela’s shock death on Thursday and a spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘Our family is deeply saddened by the recent passing of Pamela Hasselhoff.

On Wednesday, Bach was found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside her $2.2 million home in the Hollywood Hills; seen in May 2024 in Beverly Hills

A neighbor named Hiromi Osiecki said that they saw who appeared to be Pamela and David’s daughter Hayley ‘screaming and crying’ outside of the home

‘We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time but we kindly request privacy as we grieve and navigate through this challenging time.’

Around 10pm on Wednesday night, paramedics were called to her home due to reports of an unconscious woman.

A neighbor named Hiromi Osiecki said that they saw who appeared to be Pamela and David’s daughter Hayley ‘screaming and crying’ outside of the home.

‘She was hysterical, yelling, screaming, crying on the street. She was crying, saying “I just want to get my car,”‘ Osiecki informed DailyMail.com.

‘A little later, she came out with police. I heard her crying and somebody was trying to comfort her. Police tried to bring her in the house and close the door, but the door got opened. She was in and out a few times.’

The neighbor added, ‘We couldn’t see what was going on in the house, but when she came out she was crying like crazy.’