The death of TV legend Steve Halliwell spelt the end of a very big era for Emmerdale and now characters, cast and fans will say a final farewell to the iconic Zak Dingle, with the character set to be killed off. The actor, who was known to millions for his portrayal, died peacefully aged 77, according to a statement released by his family. ‘He went to sleep, peacefully with his loved ones around him,’ read the statement.
‘He was making us laugh to the end, the most amazing father and grandfather you could ever wish for, family was everything to him. ‘We would like to thank the wonderful staff at St James Hospital and the Wheatfield Hospice for their love and kindness in his final days. He didn’t want sadness, just to rejoice in a life well lived.
’ We first met Zak back in 1994, with the hot-tempered and fiercely protective patriarch being central to much of the Dales chaos. Through being the head of one of soap’s most iconic families and also his beautiful marriage to soulmate Lisa, Zak and Steve were cemented into soap history books very quickly, and the village won’t be the same without him. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser that supports HTML5video Which is why it is fitting that the show is planning a big tribute to him, with emotional funeral episodes in coming months.
‘The Dingles have been at the heart of our show for 30 years now and will continue to be so,’ producer Sophie Roper told Metro.co.uk.
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